Heart of a Lioness:Through the Eyes of Queen -Book One: Jolina
by T5Tango
Summary: This is the story of Jolina, the first queen of the Pride Lands, mate of Mohatu and mother of Uru. On her journey to find her place in the Circle of Life, Jolina must find the courage to follow her heart and the strength to fight for the land and family she loves, and in the end, make the ultimate sacrafice for both.
1. Prologue: Destiny's Path

_Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction story and is the first in a collection of stories that I will be (hopefully) writing about the lives of Pride Rock's Queens. The collection is called _Heart of a Lioness: Through the Eyes of a Queen_. This first story is about an original character, Jolina - "the first queen of the Pridelands" - and mother of Uru. The collection will feature Uru, Sarabi, Nala, and Kiara. This collection tells the stories of the Pridelands through the eyes of its queens. I do not own anything Lion King related including characters, settings, and themes; Disney does. So without further ado, the story of Jolina, the first Queen of the Pridelands. If you are just starting this story, please leave a review. I frequently check for new reviews and I would love to hear what my new readers think so far! Thanks!_

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**Heart of a Lioness: Through the Eyes of a Queen -Jolina**

_"The strength of a kingdom lies in its king, but its heart, within its queen."_

Prologue: Destiny's Path

A blood-curdling scream sliced through the chilly night air as a young lioness stumbled through the darkness, carrying her new-born cub. Gently placing the cub on the ground, she glanced behind her to the place that had been her home for the last time.

"Don't worry, my love; I will keep our daughter safe, no matter the cost."

Another scream pierced the air and the lioness grabbed the cub and headed for the cover of a nearby jungle, silently praying to the Great Kings for guidance ...

Chapter One: A Powerful Huntress

_Almost four years later ..._

An old male antelope edged further and further away from his herd, the warm sun on his back and the sweet taste of the rain-kissed grass making him oblivious to nearby dangers.

A lioness eyed her prey who was but mere yards away, but experience told her to wait. Her sharp amber eyes were set in deep concentration as she inched her lean, toned body closer and closer to her unsuspecting prey. With a flash she shot from her cover and jumped onto the back of the fleeing antelope. Sliding off his back as he stumbled, she used her strong paws to cause the animal to trip and he tumbled to the ground and was dead in a matter of moments. Pausing to catch her breath, the young lioness dragged the carcass to the edge of her jungle home, then trotted off deeper into the foliage.

"Mom!" she called. "Hey, Mom, where are you?"

"I'm here, Jolina - what is it, dear?" an older lioness replied.

"I caught an antelope. C'mon, it's just over this way."

As the two lionesses approached the carcass, the older lioness paused and looked at her daughter, pride filling her eyes. "Oh, Jolina, my little one, you have grown into a powerful huntress. I'm so proud of you."

Jolina smiled at her mother's warm praise. "Thanks, Mom ... I did learn from the best!"

This comment caused the elder lioness to chuckle. "Let's eat, I know you're probably starving."

As mother and daughter settled down to their meal, neither one noticed the pair of dark, menacing eyes watching them from the shadows.

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_Author's Note: Well, that's my first chapter! Hope you enjoy, please leave reviews so I know what you think so far. I know it was a short one, but all of the chapters will vary in length, depending on the plot. This was just an introduction, don't worry the plot begins to boil as we move along in the other chapters. I just wanted the first few to give you insight into Jolina's life now._

_Jolina is a young lioness, almost four; she has a light beige coat, dark dirty blonde tail tuft and rich amber eyes (like those of Mufasa and Simba)._

_Jolina's mother (Aza) is a light gray lioness, with soft lavender eyes, and a dark gray tail tuft. She has an off-white underbelly._

_Till' next time ...*Nantsingonyama* (means "The Lion Comes")._


	2. Chapter 2: Star Gazing

_A/N: This is the second chapter in Jolina's story. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Please feel free to give me suggestions and what you think of the main characters so far! _

Chapter 2: Star Gazing

Night had fallen over the jungle and Jolina and and her mother were settled into their favorite resting spot, a small clearing, perfect for gazing upon the starry skies. "It's such a beautiful night" Jolina said with a sigh. "Indeed it is" her mother agreed. Jolina had spent many nights like this with her mother. As a cub she had enjoyed the stories and legends her mom told her.

_(Flashback)_

_ "Jolina dear one, come and sit down, I have something important to tell you." A small cub came bouncing over to her mother, innocent amber eyes wide open. "What is it mama?" The lioness smiled down at her cub's eagerness. "Well if you will come sit, I will tell you." The young cub came and nuzzled into her mother's side, causing a warm flush of maternal pride and joy to wash over the light gray lioness. "Joli" she said, "I want you to look up at the sky and tell me what you see. This was the first night the little cub had been allowed to stay out and what she saw in the clear night sky nearly took her breath away. "Lights mama, I see lots and lots of lights!" "Yes Joli" the lioness answered, "and do you know what those lights are called?". The little cub furrowed her brow for a moment and she looked back at her mother. "No mama, I don't...please tell me what they are!" the cub pleaded. _

"_They are called stars." "Stars" the cub repeated. "They're so beautiful...I-I wish I was a star!" The lioness chuckled. "Joli, I have something very important to tell you, something my mother told me when was a little cub just about your age." Jolina saw the seriousness in her mother's face and immediately calmed down and listened intently to her mother's words. "Those stars represent the Great Kings of the Past". "Really, whoa" the cub said as she looked up at the starry heavens. "Joli my dear little one, I may not always be here beside you, there may be a time in your life when you must travel down a path alone. I want you to remember that in times when you feel lost and defeated that the Great Kings give guidance and strength to those who are pure of heart and strong of soul..."_

_(End of Flashback)_

Jolina sighed as she placed her head on her paws. It seemed to her that only yesterday she was a playful little cub, bouncing around the jungle. Now she was almost as big as her mother, and was just as skilled as a huntress. "_Where has all the time gone?", she thought. _The older lioness, noticing how quiet her daughter was being asked, "Joli, dear, are you feeling well?" Jolina was swept from her thoughts and stuttered "U-Uh, Oh yes, I'm just thinking...Hey mom, do you remember those stories you used to tell me about the kingdom where all the creatures were treated as equals and it was as beautiful as it was plentiful?" "You mean the stories about the Pridelands?" the mother asked. "Yes, the Pridelands...well are those stories true or are they just cub tales?" Jolina replied. The gray lioness's lavender eyes twinkled, "They are only true in spirit dear, but just because they are not real doesn't make the lessons we learn from them any less true. Why do you ask?" "Oh no reason...what about the ones with the Great Kings of the Past are they just stories too?" The older lioness's eyes lost their warm smile and changed into a much more serious expression. "My child, have you ever looked up at the sky and felt a stirring in your soul, or wondered how you got to where you were in your life?" Jolina thought for a moment, "Yes I think I have felt both of those things." Her mother continued, "Don't you think the paths we follow have something more to them than mere chance and luck?" The old lioness sighed, as if breathing away pain and sorrow, "I have known much pain in my life. I have made many decisions, that if I hadn't made them, neither of us would be here. So you see, in those moments I could have done something rash that would've cost us both dearly, but I believe that I was guided by something greater than myself. I was also given you and though I have much to be sad for, the heavens gave me hope and happiness through you, my child. The night you were born I was guided from a terrible danger to safety, that is why your name is Jolina, meaning 'guiding light'. Do you understand?" "Yes, I..I think so, but how am I supposed to find my path, I mean, how do I know who I am supposed to be?' the younger lioness asked. Her mother's smile returned, "That is something you must find for yourself. But if you listen closely to the earth around you, to the whispers that echo in your soul, the Great Kings will guide you."

"_Listen with your heart, you will understand, let it break upon you like a wave upon the sand..."_

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading. The ending line is from a song in Pocahontas, which Disney also owns. Jolina's name, I just made up, it only means something in this story! *Nantsingonyama*_


	3. Chapter 3: Old Enemies

_A/N: Chapter 3, here we go, this is where the plot gets interesting! Enjoy please review. _

_Disclaimer: I do no own anything The Lion King related. _

Chapter 3: Old Enemies

The next morning the air was fresh and clear, and as always, Jolina was up by dawn, greeting the sun as it began the start of a new day. After a refreshing drink from the pool near the den she shared with her mother, Jolina bounded down a path that lead to her favorite spot in the jungle. She approached a small, grass covered cliff that over looked a waterfall that fed into the deep, cool waterhole. It was here that she always came when she had something on her mind, and today Jolina couldn't shake the words that her mother had spoken last night or the feeling that something was about to happen. Climbing up the small rock path, she laid down on her side, and let the steady hum of the waterfall soothe her whirling mind.

Slowly opening her eyes, Jolina realized that she had fallen asleep. She concluded that she must have slept for about four hours based on the position of the sun. _"I'd better go check in with mom, she'll be worried of course, I don't usually stay out this long without checking in. Oh well, we're still supposed to go hunting together and she was going to show me some new strategies."_ With that thought Jolina began to make her way back to the den, stomach rumbling.

_(Meanwhile at the den...)_

The lioness who was Jolina's mother awoke with a start. _"What was that strange noise, Oh it must have been Zaza's new chick testing her wings." _She looked around the den for her daughter, _"Oh where is that girl, she doesn't usually stay out so long."_ Stretching her body, she headed to the waterhole for a cool drink and waited for the return of her daughter, who she knew would be headed back at any moment, hungry. _"Oh yes, I did promise her today that I would show her some more of those advanced hunting techniques, though I don't see how she can get much better."_ With a chuckle the lioness thought about how truly remarkable of a huntress her daughter was. Suddenly she heard a twig snap loudly behind her and a familiar low chuckle that sent chills of cold fear through her body. Whipping her head around she saw a figure that made her nearly scream from sheer terror. "Well, well, well, if if it isn't the lovely Queen Aza." The lioness's eyes opened in horror as the dark lion approached her. "Come now my dear, surely you remember me, after all I am the one responsible for the slaughter of your precious mate and overthrowing your pathetic kingdom." the lion's voice dripped with sarcasm. The lioness could only take a few cautious steps back as the memories of that horrible night ran through her mind.

_(Flashback)_

_The new mother looked at her newborn cub snuggled in her paws. She'd only been alive for a few hours, since her birth that morning, which had occurred just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Now it was late evening and the tired lioness was finally beginning to recover her strength from the birthing labors. Her mate, the king, was still making his rounds and the other lionesses were lounging around before they entered the den for the night. Watching her sleeping child filled the lioness with more joy and pride than she thought was possible. Now she waited for her beloved to return, he'd only had a few moments with them before his duties had torn him away from his family. The proud parents hadn't even had the time to discuss names for their daughter before he'd had to leave to deal with threats from a group of rogues that had been terrorizing the kingdom for some time. Queen Aza looked down at the small beige cub, the future queen of their small, but prospering land. "She looks just like him, I bet she even has those warm amber eyes of his." the Queen thought. Suddenly a lioness came barging into the den, panic streaming from her eyes. "Holly, what in the world-!", but the lioness cut her off "Your Majesty, Rondo and his rouges have attacked! They killed three of the lionesses in the evening hunting party and are headed this way. They know about the princess!" Aza's eyes widened in shock, "What! Holly, where is the king?" "He's just outside preparing the uninjured lionesses for battle." Holly answered. "Please stay here with my daughter, I must speak to him." and with that the queen raced out of the den, leaving her baby in her friend's care. Her eyes quickly scanned the group of snarling lionesses until she spotted a large muscular body and dirty blonde mane. "Azir!" she cried, running down to the lion. "Azir what's happening?" she pleaded. "Aza, my darling, Rondo has decided to attack, he's trying to overthrow the kingdom", the lion answered. "What no...this-this can't be happening...not now, WHY?" Aza cried, tears streaming down her sweet face. The king looked at his queen, his heart breaking as he spoke, "Aza, my dear, you must be strong..." he began. "B-but our daughter" the lioness sputtered. "Yes, our daughter, Aza you must take her now and run, as fast as you can" "No, I won't leave you!" she protested. "Aza you must, if you stay our daughter and you will both be killed. I will stay here with the other lionesses and fight these monsters, but you must go, for our child's sake." Her eyes fell to the ground as the truth of what he told her sank in. "Aza look at me", she slowly lifted her tear-filled lavender eyes to his and saw tears falling down his face and into his mane. "Aza you must be strong, and after this I will come and get you." The lioness threw herself into her mate's mane and through her sobs managed to say "I will keep her safe, I promise." He pulled her closer and kissed her for the last time, "I will find you when all this is over, I promise you. Now you must go, there isn't much time." She pulled away from him and looked into his amber eyes for the last time. "I love you." she softly said. "I love you too. But this isn't the end." he replied. "I know" she whispered before tearing her gaze from him and running for the cave. _

_(End of Flashback)_

Coming out of her terrified trance, Aza quickly moved into a defensive position. "Why are you here Rondo?" she spat. "Ah so you do remember me, I'm flattered. And I believe that you can guess the reason I'm here." He paused and then continued, "I'm here to finish what I started all those years ago." The lioness let out a low growl, "Why, I'm no threat to you?" The lion chuckled, "No Aza your not, and it's not you I'm here to kill, it's your daughter. The lioness gasped, "Why, what does it matter to you, she doesn't even know she's a princess!" "Correction Aza, she WAS a princess, until I destroyed that pitiful excuse for a pride you called a kingdom. Your daughter is a threat, simply by the blood that flows through her veins. Now it's time to wipe out the bloodline of Azir forever!" Rondo said, his voice steeped in manic hatred. "No you will not lay a paw on my daughter you..you... FILTH!" Aza declared. Rondo gave another mocking laugh, "My, my such harsh words for a lioness of nobility. Aza I think we both know that you are in no condition to stop me, and honestly, your daughter isn't much better off. It will be all too easy when I dispose of her the same way I killed her beloved father", the dark lion growled. And with that last threat hanging in the air, unsheathing her claws, Aza attacked, biting and slashing.

Jolina was lazily making her way home when a purple feathered bird alighted on a low branch in front of her. Jolina instantly recognized the bird as her friend Zazi. Though Zazi was a bit older than Jolina that had still managed to become close friends. "Good morning Zazi, how are you?" "I'm sorry Jolina, but I heard terrifying growls and oh something is wrong I just know it..." , the bird continued babbling. Jolina struggled to understand the bird's panicked and broken explanations. "Whoa , whoa Zazi, slow down, I can't understand a word your saying, just calm down and tell me what's wrong." "It's your mother, I think she's in trouble." Zazi squawked. "What...No!" Jolina yelled as she bolted for her home.

The scene that awaited her left a sick feeling in her stomach. Laying on the ground near the waterhole in a pool of blood was the dark body of a strange lion. The absence of breathing and a slash across his throat made it clear that he was undoubtedly dead. _"What could've possibly happened, and where is my mom?" _Glancing around Jolina saw a sight that made her heart nearly stop and her blood run cold. Sprawled on the edge of the bank lay the broken and bloodied form of a once beautiful gray lioness, her mother...

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed. This has been my favorite chapter so far. Please review and let me know what you think. BTW Rondo is dead and will only reappear in references and possible flashbacks. _

_Rondo's name (in my world )means 'one who resents', it suits him. He is a bulky dark gray lion with a jet black mane, and dull grayish-green eyes. Azir's name means (in my world also) 'gentle strength'. He is a muscular lion with a soft beige coat, dirty blonde mane, and wise amber eyes, like Jolina's. Aza's name really means, in Zulu (I think), 'steadfast'. Next chapter coming soon! *Nantsingonyama* _


	4. Chapter 4: Goodbye

_A/N: I just wanted to thank kora22 for the suggestions and reviews, they've been really helpful. Btw my original characters in this story so far are Jolina, Aza, Azir, Rondo, Zazi, and Holly. If you want to use any of them for your own story, I'm totally fine with that. You do **not** need to ask my permission, but I'd appreciate an email or PM letting me know if you do so I can check out your story! Anyways on with chapter 4! I do not own the Lion King! _

Chapter 4: Goodbye

Jolina ran to the side of her fallen mother, relieved to see her chest still moving. However that relief was short lived when she saw a deep slash across her mother's shoulder and how her breathing had becoming very shallow.

"Mom" she whispered.

"Jolina, dear one, is that you?" the lioness chocked.

'Yes mom, I'm here, don't worry, everything will be ok, just stay here, I'm going to find help.

"No, Jolina, stay, its too late for that now." Aza said through a wave of pain that left her drained.

"Mom no, you, you can't mean..." Jolina sobbed.

"Yes my sweet one, my time here is nearly finished,"

"No! You can't die, I-I need you. Your all I have." the young lioness chocked.

"Darling, I will always be with you, now it's time for you to find your own path. Do you remember what...I told you about the...Great Kings."

"Yes, I think so." Jolina answered.

"Yo-You must always remember that they guide those who are true of heart and strong of spirit. Do you understand?" the gray lioness groaned as a sharp pain washed through her shoulder.

"I think so. I love you so much Mom." Jolina whispered as she nuzzled her mother's head.

"I love you too, my little one." the old lioness smiled up at her daughter. "Remember to have faith and listen to what your heart tells you, it will lead you down your path. I will always...be...with...you." The old lioness took her last breath and closed her eyes...forever.

"Mom...NO...please..." She nuzzled her beloved mother one last time and turned away from the body, walking away.

She looked back and whispered, "Goodbye Mom...I will miss you", before she began sprinting through the jungle, tears streaming down her face.

_A/N: Very short chapter, but sad. Please, please, please leave a review so I can improve! Thanks, chapters 5 and 6 are on their way soon! *Nantsingonyama*_


	5. Chapter 5: Memories of a Mother

_A/N Here's chapter 5. This is composed of a series of flashbacks Jolina has about her time with her mother. The song lyrics are from Celtic Woman's version of "You Raise Me Up".(Which I don't own) If possible, you should listen to the song, before or while you read this. Enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: The Lion King is owned by Disney!_

Chapter 5: Memories of a Mother

Jolina bolted through the jungle that was her home. She didn't care where she was running, she only wanted to get as far away as possible from the place her mother had died. As she ran, she was helpless to stop the onslaught of burning tears and memories that tore at her already broken heart.

"_When I am down, and oh, my soul so weary, _

_When troubles come, and my heart burdened be,_

_Then I am still and wait her in the silence, _

_For you to come and sit awhile with me."_

_(Flashback)_

_The young cub laid her head on her paws, tears sliding down her cheek. The hum of the waterfall in her favorite place did little to comfort her. "Joli, dear, what's wrong?" , the gentle voice of her mother asked. _

"_Nothing mama, I'm fine" the cub said wiping the tears away._

"_Now, no one cries without a reason." the mother lioness came and laid beside her daughter, "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you." _

"_Well you see mama, I found two leopard cubs, and I thought we could be ya' know friends. And I asked them if I could play and they said 'sure'. Well, then they wanted to play tree tag. I couldn't climb the trees like they cub. I tried mama, I really did, but my I'd always start sliding down the tree again. They started laughing at me and calling me 'Lazy Lion', and asking me what was wrong with me. So I ran here. "Why were they so mean to me, all I wanted was some friends. Why couldn't I climb the tree like they could?" the little cub sobbed. The mother sighed and swallowed her own tears at seeing her child in pain. "Jolina, I' m so sorry dear", the lioness began._

"_But mama, why were they so mean?"_

"_Jolina, look out into that clearing and tell me what you see." _

_The little cub turned her face and saw a small clearing with a small herd of forest deer and a group of warthogs. "There's lots of deer and warthogs and birds."_

"_Yes, and Jolina, all those creature are different, and yet they live peacefully together. Do you know why?'_

"_No" Jolina answered._

"_It's because each of those creatures has an equally important place in the 'Circle of Life'. See how the deer eat the grass and leave the roots behind for the warthogs, and the birds keep an eye out for predators, while feeding off the insects on the deer and warthogs. So though they are all very different, they help one another. None more or less important than another."_

"_But I don't understand what that has do with the leopards." Jolina said innocently._

_'Sometimes Joli, when we meet a creature who isn't the same as we are, it's easy to fear or tease that creature. Those leopard cubs didn't understand that you are a lion and therefore cannot climb trees like they can. That is why they laughed at you." "But because you are both different from one another, doesn't make either of you less important. Do you understand?"_

"_I understand Mama, thanks, I love you." the little cub snuggled against her mother._

"_I love you too, my little one." and the lioness gave her cub a warm lick._

"_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,_

_You raise me up to walk on stormy seas"_

"_Look mama, I'm Queen of the Rock!" Joli giggled as she climbed a low rock formation overlooking the waterhole._

"_Joli, dear, do come down before you fall!" her mother said nervously._

"_Awww...yes mama.", the little cub began to climb down when one of her paws slipped and before she could catch herself, she fell straight into the deep water._

"_Jolina!" her mother cried as she fished her daughter from the water. "Are you alright?"_

_The cub spat out a mouthful of water, then a goofy grin formed on her face. "Gotcha mama!" she giggled._

"_Oh you silly little cub, well now it's MY turn!" and the lioness gave her cub a small splash._

"_Awww...no,no,no!" the cub laughed as she tried to escape her mother's tickles and splashes. And a game of tickle tag and splash war began._

"_I am strong when I am on your shoulders."_

_Mother and cub stalked the unsuspecting prey, this was the cub's first of many hunting lessons, and she rippled her muscles in the same fashion as her mother, and listened intently to her instructions._

_(End of Flashbacks)_

"_You raise me to more than I can be..."_

The young lioness knew that the stories and lessons her mother had taught her would be in her heart...forever.

"_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,_

_You raise me up to walk on stormy seas,_

_I am strong when I am on your shoulders,_

_You raise me to more than I can be."_

The memories of her mother would carry her through many troubled times and would be a source of strength in times of weakness.

"_You raise me up to more than I can be..."_

_A/N: Hope the formatting wasn't confusing. The italicized print is either song lyrics, memories, or thoughts. Chapter six will be up soon! *Nantsingonyama*_


	6. Chapter 6: Into the Desert

_A/N: This may be my last chapter for a little while, I haven't written out chapter 7, but it won't take me long. Jolina is leaving her childhood behind and following where destiny takes her. Anyways enjoy chapter six. And please, please review. It would mean SO much to me to know what you thought. _

Chapter 6: Into the Desert

When Jolina recovered her senses and the memories stopped flashing through her head, she found herself facing a vast expanse of sand. She had never seen one before, because she'd never ventured to this side of the jungle, but she knew the wasteland was called a desert. The thought of running into the unknown frightened her, but she knew that she couldn't go back to the jungle, it was just too painful. So swallowing her fear, she set off into the night.

Jolina had spent her entire life up till' know tucked away into the shelter and warm, humid environment of the secluded jungle. She was painfully unprepared for the dry, cold air that penetrated her fur and sent cold chills through her body. She stopped for a moment, her lungs burning as if they would explode, and her legs were stiff and sore from the steady jog of her pace. It felt as though she'd been running for hours and new that dawn was fast approaching. Despite her youth and inexperience, she knew enough to know what daytime in the middle of the desert meant...brutal, life draining heat. She knew that if she was going to survive she needed to get out of the desert soon. After trying to calm the burning in her lungs and swallow the dryness in her throat, she set off again.

_(Noon the next day...)_

She was exhausted to the point of collapsing. Her body ached, and despite the frequent breathers she took, her throat remain parched as the sand surrounding her in every direction, and she felt faint. The sun and heat were brutal, as they beat down on her weary body, giving her an intense headache. The part of her brain that wasn't focused on forcing her body to continue on, inwardly sighed, wondering if plunging into the desert had been such a good idea. Then in the distance her eyes caught a flash of green in the shape of a tree and looking harder she saw...WATER! Summoning the last ounces of energy she had, she sprinted toward the oasis. But as she approached, she noticed the trees seemed to disappear, and when she arrived at the spot, the water too had vanished. Gasping in dismay and looking around again, she collapsed onto the harsh sand from sheer exhaustion, surrendering herself to the scorching sun...

_A/N: Chapter 7 on its way! *Nantsingonyama*_


	7. Chapter 7: Stranger in the Oasis

_A/N: I gotten a few really positive reviews. Thanks so much. They've been EXTREMELY helpful! Shout out to **kora22** and **WolvesHunt101 **who have both given me great encouragement and advice. Thanks so much guys! So here's chapter 7, it came along faster than I thought. I tried to correct formatting to make the dialogue clearer, but it the chapter may still have length issues. Hopefully as we move and meet more of the main characters the chapters will lengthen out. Chpt. 6 was when we were finally moving out of the beginning part. Anyways...enjoy! _

Chapter 7: Stranger in the Oasis

Jolina groggily opened her eyes, her head pounding. Light was pouring into the small den that she found herself in, though she couldn't remember how she got there. As she surveyed her surroundings , and her disorientation began to clear, she remember her collapse in the desert.

"_Where am I? Am I...dead?"_ she thought. Then she remembered the reason she had collapsed in the desert in the first place, tears came to her eyes as she thought, _"Mom". _Swallowing her tears she shakily rose from her place on the floor of the den, when a strange voice and a flash of color appeared at the entrance of the den.

"Ahhh, I see dat you are awake. Dat is good, I was not sure if you were going to pull through the night."

Jolina could only stand and stare, dumbfounded, at the odd, monkey-like creature in front of her. He was leaning on a long stick that had some kind of gourds tied to them that rattled when he moved. The creature suddenly threw his hands in the air and yelled.

"It is just I thought, de sun has gone to her head!"

Jolina finally stuttered out an answer, she may be disoriented and a little shocked, but she certainly wasn't the deranged one in the situation.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, its just, well, what I mean to say is...what are you?" she blurted.

The creature stared at her for a moment before letting out a long yell and breaking into a fit of manic laughter.

After the laughing spell, he replied. "I am a mandrill."

"Oh I don't mean to sound rude, it's just I'm a bit disoriented at the moment and I don't believe I've seen any of your kind before." Jolina managed to say.

"Ah yes, I doubt you have.", the mandill replied "Now follow me!" and with that he walked out of the den. Jolina, who was still a bit shell-shocked, hesitated for a moment, but quickly followed suit when the mandrill reappeared and pointed his stick at her threateningly, and yelled,

"Don't dawdle, HURRY UP!"

* * *

She followed the strange creature to a large tree. He then began to climb up and looked back down at her and said,

"Wait down here."

Jolina sat on her haunches as she looked up into the tree, in mild amusement as the mandrill began banging and shuffling as he relentlessly searched for something. Finally after several more minutes of noise and the occasional flight out of the tree of some fruit or object that wasn't the one he searched for, she heard him proclaim,

"AHA, I knew it was here!"

He descended the tree, a strange round object that had been hollowed out in the middle, in tow. As he approached where she sat, she noticed that there seemed to be a brown, odd-smelling liquid in the object. He pushed the object to her muzzle and said,

"Here, you must drink dis, it will give you a bit of energy so dat you may hunt."

Jolina backed away, which obviously annoyed him when he said, in a frustrated tone,

"Well, do you want to live or not?"

Deciding that she had no other options, she gulped the liquid down, which had a fowl taste, but was bearable. After swallowing and giving herself a moment to inwardly gag, she turned her attention back to the mandrill.

"Thank you, I'm sorry, what is your name...and...how..er...why am I here?" she questioned meekly.

The mandrill looked at her and said, "I could ask de same of you, why a young lioness would be out in de middle of de desert."

But before she could reply he grinned and said, "My name is Rafiki and I found you passed out in de desert and brought you here, to dis oasis, which is my home."

"Oh, well thank you, I'm glad you did or I probably wouldn't be alive. My name is Jolina, by the way."

"But I don't understand something", she continued, "when I fainted in the desert, I thought I saw an oasis, but when I got to it, it had disappeared and I thought it must have been a mirage."

"Yes, dere are many dings in life dat seem to be mirages." Rafiki answered mysteriously.

"Now you must go hunt and get plenty of rest, you are still very weak." he said.

A rumble from her stomach answered for her and she thanked Rafiki once again before heading off into the jungle to scout for prey.

* * *

As she traveled through the foliage she spied a shallow pool and immediately dipped her entire head into the cool water, gulping huge mouthfuls of the refreshing liquid. Several moments later, with thirst satisfied, her senses on high alert, she stalked the the oasis for a meal. After careful and quiet observation, Jolina spied just what she was hoping for. A little, plump doe that was daintily nibbling at the undergrowth. Jolina expertly crept closer to the oblivious animal, then she shot from her cover in the leaves and branches and caught the little deer before it even had time to bolt. After she had eaten her fill she headed back toward Rafiki's tree where she found him in what looked like some sort of meditation pose. Cautiously clearing her thought to alert him of her presence, one of the mandrill's eyes popped open and looked over at her.

"I trust you were able to find food?" he asked.

"Yes, I was, thank you." Jolina answered.

"Dat is good, now you must go rest if you are to make a full recovery."

Jolina turned to leave when a thought entered her mind, she faced him again and asked,

"Not that I am not truly grateful, but... why are you helping me?"

Rafiki looked at her and gave her a toothy grin, and answered,

"Dat is something only time will answer.", and with that, he disappeared into the leafy branches of the tree. Jolina sighed, not sure what to make of the cryptic answer. But she was too tired to ponder on it anymore, stifling a huge yawn, she headed back to the small den she'd woken up in earlier. She snuggled herself into one of the far corners and drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep.

_A/N: Well there it is, this chapter was longer than I thought it would be. Whaddya know, Jolina met Rafiki! (BTW how did I do writing for him, I really hope my portrayal of him was convincing.) Thanks for reading. Chapter 8 is coming soon! Please review. *Nantsingonyama*_


	8. Chapter 8: Exploring the Wasteland

_A/N: Hey guys! Ok so I got so many reviews for my story. Thanks to all of you for the positive feedback and tips on how I can improve the story. I've taken all you've said to heart and hope you find this chapter even better than the last ones. Thanks and enjoy!_

Chapter 8: Exploring the Wasteland

Several weeks had passed since Jolina had woken up in the oasis and befriended Rafiki. She found something... enchanting about the mandrill's odd habits and mystical wisdom. She often spent her mornings collecting herbs and such, for the various medicines and potions he was constantly concocting. This morning however, Jolina's normally cheerful disposition was replaced with sad reserve. Even though she had completely recovered, physically, from the desert, nothing had begun to heal the wound in her heart. Everyday, she thought of, and missed her mother, the heartache a constant pain. Rafiki was a wonderful friend to her, but he wasn't a lion, and it seemed that he was always either busily preparing remedies or meditating, and she didn't want to disturb him and become a nuisance. So the many hours that Jolina had to aimlessly wander through the oasis, she found herself very lonely . As she pondered how to spend her day, an idea popped into her head, she realized that she hadn't had much of a look around the place, other than the limited woodland of the oasis. Now, though Jolina was a full-grown lioness, she'd still retained a small mischievous streak from her cubhood, and the chance to do a bit of exploring was simply too much for her to pass up. So walking in the opposite direction of the desert, she kicked up her heels and set off at a steady trot, wondering what she might find.

* * *

Jolina easily reached the borders of the oasis and the sight that filled her vision, made a sharp gasp leave her throat, and her eyes to widen in horror. Scattered across a land that seemed to have been ravaged by fire and drought, were hundreds of skeletons, some of them being those of lions.

"_What could've possibly happened here?_" she thought. And, against her better judgment, she set off into the wasteland. As she looked around at her barren surroundings, she pieced together that a lion pride, a large one by the number of remains, had once lived here. She sniffed the ground of what must have been a large waterhole, that was now bone dry. In the distant she saw a small rock formation and a den. She walked over and climbed up onto the flat rocks and peeked into the den.

"_Empty"_ she said to herself. There was no doubt that any survivors would have fled the smoking land long ago. She climbed down and walked around the outside of the back of the cave, and seeing nothing but the scorched remains of a few acacia trees, turned to head back to the oasis, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of light brown. Laying on the ground behind the dead trees was the still breathing form of a young male lion.

* * *

Jolina couldn't believe her eyes. How any creature could have possibly remained alive here was astounding to her.

"_He won't be alive much longer if I don't get him out of here." _She then trotted over to the lion and surveyed his features. His pelt was a light-tannish brown (though darker than her own), he had a large pink nose, and his thick mane was dark brown. _"Oh, he's kinda...handsome."_ She then mentally slapped herself for standing there, thinking silly cub thoughts, when this lion was dying. As she thought of a way to get him back to the oasis, she noticed that he was covered in burns and his dark mane was matted with dirt and soot. _"Poor guy, he must have gotten caught in the fire that destroyed his land." _She then realized that the only way she could get him to the oasis, would be to carry him on her back. The male was large of frame, and despite the fact that Jolina could easily see ribs starting to push through his muscled side, he was still a good size larger than her. Carrying him such a distance would be a difficult task, but Jolina was a strong and determined lioness, and she knew she couldn't just leave him there to die. Bracing her muscles, she slid her body under his front half and head and managed to position him over her, so that his weight was somewhat evenly distributed on her back, and she began the long walk back to the oasis, half carrying, half dragging the unconscious lion across the dead land.

* * *

Late evening the next day, an exhausted Jolina hauled the lion into the small den she resided in. Gently, she slid him off her back and paused to catch her breath. But she knew she could stop only for a moment if this lion was going to live. Quickly she set off at a sprint for Rafiki's tree. As she approached she prayed to the 'Kings' that he was there.

"Rafiki, Rafiki!" she called.

"Ah Jolina, dere you are, I was getting worried about you, what have you been up to girl?"

"I'm sorry Rafiki, but there is no time for that, I-I found a lion, he's unconscious and covered in burns, you must come quickly!" she said desperately.

When Rafiki had gathered the necessary items to treat wounds, they both headed to the den. Rafiki quickly set to work, cleaning the burns and properly bandaging them. The lion's body was also covered in various cuts and bruises. Rafiki worked well into the night treating the injuries and ensuring that infection didn't set in.

Jolina was anxiously pacing around the outside of the den when Rafiki emerged, clearing exhausted from the tedious. Instantly she bounded over to him.

"Well, how is he?"

"He is fine, I was able to treat the wounds before infection, and he should wake up sometime tomorrow. I dink dat wid plenty of rest and care, he will recover completely.

"Where did you find dis lion and how did you bring him here?" the mandrill questioned.

"Well I ventered into a wasteland and I found him laying on the ground there, so I brought him here." she answered truthfully.

Rafiki pondered this for a moment before saying, "I do seem to remember a large amount of smoke coming from dat direction about three months ago. It is a wonder than he is still alive, and he wouldn't have made it much longer, you saved his life."

"I couldn't just leave him there to die." Jolina answered humbly.

"Well, you need to rest, and you know how cold it gets a night, you must try to keep him warm. Goodnight Jolina." Rafiki headed for his tree home.

"She is a strong, dat one." he said to himself.

Jolina entered the den and found the lion laying on his side. Rafiki had tended his wounds nicely, and had also managed to remove most of the dirt and soot from his mane and pelt. Cautiously she approached him and remembered Rafiki's order that she must keep him warm, so she slowly placed her back against his and felt an odd sensation rush through her body. The feeling puzzled her, but she found it soothing at the same time. Laying her head on her paws, she succumbed to her exhaustion and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

_A/N: Here's chapter eight! It was longer than most of the other chapters. Who do you think the strange lion is? Let me know what you thought. I welcome praise and criticism! Chapter 9 coming soon! *Nantsingonyama*_


	9. Chapter 9: New Friends

_A/N: Hey guys! Ok so I just got a boatload of reviews and each one has been really helpful and encouraging. Thanks, oh one of my reviewers brought up a really good point about Rafiki. He's about 10 years old here and mandrills will leave about 40-50 years. Lions live about 20-25 years, so it's possible for him to have been around for that long. BTW this story is about 20-30 years before the first Lion King. Anyways hope you enjoy! _

* * *

Chapter 9: New Friends

Jolina awoke much later than she usually did, to warm sunshine flooding into the den. Yawning, she felt an odd, fuzzy feeling pressing against her back. She suddenly remembered how she'd found the lion and Rafiki had treated his injuries. Rising, she saw that he was still asleep, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he woke up, and he would need to eat. Looking back at the peaceful figure, she bounded off into the oasis in search of prey.

The lion slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as sunlight poured into the den.

"_How long have I been out?"_ he thought.

Then, after his bearings had slowly returned, he realized that the den he was laying in was not his own, nor was the lush shrubbery outside part of his ruined home.

"_What the..." _buthis thoughts were interrupted as a lioness cautiously entered the cave. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and when she flashed him a timid smile, he knew right then and there that he'd died and gone to heaven.

"Hi..." the lioness's melodious voiced coaxed him from his trance.

"Uh, hi" he stuttered. "Umm... Am I dead?" he asked.

The lioness smiled, "No, your alive."

"Oh well, I figured I was cause' I thought you were an ang- nevermind."

"You thought I was a what?" the lioness asked.

"It's not important, uhhh, could you tell me where I am?"

Jolina looked at the young lion and was almost transfixed by his warm blue eyes.

"_Oh, what is wrong with me, he's going to think I'm as crazy as Rafiki."_

Tearing herself from her mental rant, she softly answered,

"I know you must be confused right now, but about a day ago I found you in a wasteland. I brought you here and a friend of mine, who is a healer, treated your wounds."

The lion slowly absorbed what she had said and then a thought hit him,

"Wait, I don't remember an oasis being anywhere near my home, it must be pretty far off, how did...did you carry me here all by yourself?"

"Well I half-carried, half-dragged you." she answered.

"Whoa you must be pretty strong for a girl, I mean not that you looked small or weak or anything, your a good size, OH NO not that your fat..."

Jolina cocked her head and giggled to herself as the lion rambled on. She saved him from further embarrassment by interrupting his babbling and saying,

"Hey I just when hunting, are you hungry?"

The lion's ears immediatley perked up and his stomach gave a loud rumble. He grinned cheekily.

Laughing Jolina said "I'll take that as a yes, c'mon it's this way!"

She waited as the lion stood up, wincing as pain shot through his still tender injuries. As he walked over to her, she noticed how muscular he was, and that he stood several inches taller than her. Looking away quickly she led him over to the kill she'd made.

After they'd both eaten their fill and she had shown him the nearest waterhole, they lay together, (though maintaining a modest distance between their bodies), in a thick patch of grass.

"Well my name is Mohatu and I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me." the lion said.

"Oh, no need to thank me, I'm just glad I found you in time." Jolina answered.

"Yeah me too." Mohatu replied, "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Jolina."

"Jolina" the lion reapted. "Well that's a beautiful name."

Jolina blushed and said "Thank you."

"So Jolina, how long have you been living here?"

"Oh, I've actually only been here for a few weeks, the friend I told you about found me collasped in the desert just on the other side of the oasis." she answered.

"Whoa, how'd you end up in a desert?"

Jolina looked away as she felt a familiar pang of loss and grief wash over her.

"It's kind of a long story." she said quietly.

He saw how her mood had suddenly changed and decided not to push her anymore and an awkward silence ensued before Jolina changed the subject.

"Anyways, speaking of my friend, I think it's about time you met him."

Standing up, the two lions set off in the direction of Rafiki's tree.

* * *

It was about noon when they arrived at the sturdy boab tree. Jolina glanced at the oblivious Mohatu, knowing he was in for a bit of a surprise. Leaning her front paws against the trunk, she arched her neck to look up into the tree, she saw that Rafiki was munching away on the odd assortment of fruit that was his midday meal.

"Rafiki" she called. "I hate to disturb you, but I have someone who wants to me you."

The mandrill put his lunch down and came over to the lioness, giving her an affectionate pat on the head.

"Ahh a visitor you say, well dis is an interesting day indeed." The mandrill hopped over to the surprised looking lion.

"Rafiki, this is Mohatu, Mohatu meet Rafiki." Jolina said gesturing between the two.

The lion remembering that this was probably the "friend" who had treated his wounds, he overcame his surprise and raised an out-stretched paw to shake the mandrill's hand.

"Jolina told me that you treated my injuries, I can't thank you enough." Mohatu said.

Rafiki grinned and was just about to reply when a small orange bird flew into his tree. To Jolina and Mohatu's utter shock and surprise, Rafiki let out a loud shriek and leaped into the tree. The two lions could only stare as the mandrill expertly swung his stick at the terrified bird, letting out more battle cries. The bird though, somehow managed to dodge his swings and in the process Rafiki sent several gourds and other odd items flying out of the tree, to the point that Jolina and Mohatu had to duck several times out of the path of the projectiles. After several minutes the little bird escaped and shot out of the tree with a shrill "tweet". Rafiki finally emerged with a toothy grin and said,

"Dat mischievous bird, he's always after de berries I keep up dere."

Mohatu could only look at the mandrill, stunned. Jolina, who knew Rafiki better, recovered quicker.

"Well Rafiki, we were just off to the waterhole, catch ya' later."

And she led Mohatu away. Finally he said,

"Uh-Whoa, that was a bit, uh...unexpected."

"Yeah, he's...different, but he really is a great friend when you get to know him." Jolina replied.

Mohatu flashed a grin before responding,

"I like him!"

This made both lions laugh as they strolled through the jungle.

* * *

_(Later that evening...)_

After their "meeting" with Rafiki, Jolina had given Mohatu a tour of the small, but lush oasis. As they had talked and gotten to know one another, Jolina found the company of another lion pleasant. They shared stories from their cubhoods, careful to avoid topics containing whereabouts of family, and established that Mohatu was only about a season older than Jolina. They also found that they had many interests and hobbies in common...stargazing being one of them.

"Hey, did you know that the Great Kings of the Past are up their looking down on us...or at least that's what my parents told me." Mohatu said as they lay on a small grass- covered hill on the outskirts of the forest, staring up at the twinkling heavens. Jolina paused for a moment before responding,

"Yeah, my...mom told me that when I was a little cub." She then braced herself for the rush of pain that always followed thoughts about her mother, but, strangely, they didn't come. It was almost as if the lion's presence had created a shield of peaceful contentment around her. He interrupted her thoughts when he asked,

"Do you believe that?"

"Uh?" she asked, confused.

He repeated his question,

"Do you think the Great Kings watch over us?"

Jolina thought back to her mother's dying words, and this time the pain did come, but she pushed it away and a cold look of absolution entered her eyes as she answered,

"Yes, I do." Her features quickly softened as she returned his question,

"What about you?"

The young lion sighed and looked away,

"I-I used to...now...I just don't know."

Jolina looked at him for a moment, noting the sadness in his voice,

"Perhaps... time will reveal the answers to you." she told him.

"Maybe." he whispered, his eyes never leaving the ground.

Jolina then felt a sudden chill run down her back and she realized how late it was.

"We should probably head back, it's getting late, and you need rest in order to heal. Rafiki's orders." She said the last part with a cheeky smile.

The lion's smile returned as he said,

"Oh well, we'd better hurry then, I definitely don't want him after me, especially with that stick!"

Neither lions could contain their laughter at the thought of the eccentric mandrill.

Entering the cave, both lions laid down close, though not close enough for their bodies to touch.

"Goodnight." Jolina said with a small yawn.

"Sweet dreams." Mohatu replied.

The tone he used sent another one of those odd sensations through her, but she did her best to ignore it, and fell of to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Well there's chapter nine! We finally met Mohatu! And, oh Rafiki...what would we do without him? Tell me what you thoug__ht, oh and you don't have to be a member of the site to leave a review, guests reviews are most welcome! Chapter 10 coming soon! Till' then, *Nantsingonyama*_


	10. Chapter 10: Stampede of Memories

_A/N: Hey guys, well this chapter took me forever to write, it feels like, but here it is! First of all, I'd like to thank **kora22, WolvesHunt101,Warriorcat119, PuttingQuillonParchement,Bang-Bang-Shot to the Head, **and **mimoo01 **for their awesome feedback and suggestions that have helped to make this story what it is! You should check out their stories, I've looked at a lot of them, and if I had the talent these writers have, this story would be phenomenal! Their support has continually inspired and helped me, thanks so much guys! Also I'd like to extend a thank you to** milele yako, **and** kate, **who also left positive reviews that encouraged me! Please leave me a review to let me know what you think so far and remember, you can leave a review as a guest, I'd love to hear from ALL my readers. But even if you are unable to leave a review, I'd still like to thank you for reading my story and hope you enjoy it! Thanks! I don't own The Lion King! _

_**Warning: This scene contains borderline graphic depictions of death, may not be appropriate for all audiences. **_

Chapter 10: Stampede of Memories

When Mohatu's eyes opened, he was quite surprised to find Jolina snuggled up next to him. Her head rested on his side, nestled into his thick mane. He also saw that his tail was draped over her body. Keep still, so as not to disturb the sleeping lioness, he looked down at her features. The innocent beauty she possessed confirmed to him that she was just what he'd thought her to be when he first laid eyes on her...an angel. He couldn't quite place a paw on the emotions he felt as he gazed down on her sleeping figure, and he had to suppress the strong urge to place a protective paw over her. He'd never felt this way about anyone, and somehow he knew that he'd do anything for the lioness that he held, and that scared him.

"_No, this is stupid, there's no way I'm in love with her, I barely know her, even if she did save my life."_

Jolina then began to stir from her slumber, pulling him away from his thoughts. Her eyes fluttered open and when she saw that she was snuggled up to Mohatu's body, she quickly jerked away, heart pounding, and she blushed deeply.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't realize..." she stammered.

Mohatu gave her a gentle smile and replied,

"Hey, it's fine. It does get kinda' cold at night."

"Uh-yeah." she answered before stretching her slim, graceful body.

"So, anyways, I was hoping we could go hunting together or something."

Mohatu frowned and said,

"Well, I'd love to, but I was hoping I could kinda', go off on my own for a bit. I just have some stuff on my mind."

"Oh yeah, of course, you've been through a lot, I'm sure that you need some time to think." Jolina replied understandingly, but still, the disappointment was obvious in her voice.

"So, I'll catcha' later then?" he said.

"Of course, well goodbye." and she walked off into the jungle.

His eyes followed her shapely figure as she left and his heart began wildly thumping, involuntarily.

"Uggh." he groaned.

"_I've got to clear my head."_ he said to himself, before he too, headed off into the oasis, in the opposite direction.

Jolina sighed as she searched for breakfast. But it was no use, she just couldn't concentrate. Images of the handsome young lion kept flashing through her head, along with a myriad of confusing emotions. Several hours had passed since she had left the den, and she decided to give up, she just wasn't going to be able to focus enough to hunt. She was about to turn back when she heard loud footsteps and snorting noises. Never had she heard such a thing, and she was just about to turn and bolt when Mohatu plunged from the foliage, grabbed her, and placed a paw over her mouth to stop her scream, as they crashed into a large, thick bush. He released her and she was about to ask him what in the world was going on when she saw four enormous water buffalo bulls come plowing through the place she'd just been standing in. She looked at Mohatu, wide-eyed, but he signaled for her to keep low and quiet. The bulls tore around the area for a moment before they sauntered off into the woods. Mohatu let out a sigh of relief, but she just continued to stare at him, before saying,

"What in the WORLD was that all about?"

Mohatu looked at her and said,

"Well, I-uh kinda upset those guys."

But Jolina saw his suspicious look and asked,

"What did you do?"

Giving her a sheepish grin, he replied

"Let's just say...hehe... I might have upset their favorite female."

Jolina stared at the lion. Then a grin formed on her face and she fell to the ground rolling in laughter,

"Your INSANE" she cried. "Who hunts buffalo like that, and all on their own?"

And she continued giggling.

Mohatu soon joined in her on laughter, and after several minutes of wild giggling, he stood up and offered his paw to her.

"C'mon Joli, we'd better get outta' here before those buffalo come back." he said with a laugh.

But the beige lioness's face fell and she got up and turned away from him. She couldn't contain the tears and they flowed freely from her amber eyes. Mohatu, alarmed by her reaction, said,

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

Releasing another sob, she looked up at him with puffy, red eyes and replied,

"No,no, it's-it's just that well, you-you called me Joli. No one's ever called me that except my mom, it was kinda' her nickname for me, ever since I was a little cub."

Mohatu, who really couldn't stand the sight of her tears said,

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I won't call you that if it upsets you."

She looked at him and replied,

"No..no, I-I want you to."

Mohatu gave her a small smile before asking gently,

"So what happened to your mom?"

Jolina looked at him and something inside her shifted, and before she knew it, they were laying under the shade of the tree and she was telling him about her mother.

"Well, I called a large jungle my home, ever since I can remember. It was just me and my mom, we didn't live with a pride, I never met any other lions except for seeing a rogue here and there. I don't know very much about my mom's life before the jungle, she always told me that it wasn't important. I never knew my father, and when I asked about him, all she would ever tell me was that I looked just like him and that he had died the day I as born, but that he had loved me very much. I didn't have many friends that I could play with, so I was always off exploring on my own or with her. She was like my best friend, when I was a cub she used to tell me legends and stories about a wonderful pride and its brave kings and queens, I could listen to her story- telling for hours. I have never been closer to anyone... Anyways, one morning I woke up before she did, as always, and went for a walk. When I came back, I found a lion, one I'd never seen, laying dead near our den. I panicked and soon found my mom, she was severely injured, but still breathing, barely, and after she told me a few things, she was...gone. I-I didn't know what to do." Jolina was know openly crying, but she continued, "So, I just ran through the night, not hardly stopping when I reached the desert. Rafiki found me, as you know, in the middle of the desert and brought me here." she finished.

"Oh, that's-that's awful, I'm so sorry." Mohatu whispered.

"I don't even know how it happened. I mean, why would some strange lion attack my mother."

"I-I don't know." he replied.

It's just like, she was there one minute and the next...gone." Jolina whimpered.

Mohatu placed a comforting paw on her shoulder and said, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Jolina looked up and said, "You do?"

"Yeah, I lost both my parents, my pride, and my home..." he whispered.

"What happened to them?" Jolina asked.

Mohatu suddenly turned and walked away from her, and sat down with his back facing her. His large frame was visibly shaking as he tried to keep his own tears at bay. Jolina softly approached and said,

"You don't have to tell me, I understand."

But the lion shook his head and said,

"No, I want to tell you, you deserve to know." And so he began.

"I spent most of my cub-hood playing and exploring like most other cubs. Our kingdom was plentiful and safe, and our pride was large. As I grew into an adult, it seemed that everything was perfect, then one day, a pair of rogues came, asking to speak with the king, that they had urgent news. They were both kinda' scrawny and worn looking, and they told my father-."

"Wait," Jolina interrupted. "Your father, your father was the...king?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that," he shrugged.

"But if your father was the king, that would make you the prince!" she said.

"Yeah..I guess I was at one point, but that seems like a lifetime ago." he said distantly.

Jolina patiently waited for him to continue.

"Anyways, those rogues told my dad that terrible things were coming, and that he needed to evacuate the pride immediately, if we were to survive. My dad was a wise king, but I guess he figured that the two lions were either deranged or trying to stir up trouble, because he welcomed them to food and rest, then sent them on their way. I don't really blame him, that kingdom had been in our family for generations, and it's not exactly easy to take a pride of thirty some lions out of their home to aimlessly wander for a new territory. After that life went on normally, until about three months later the rains just...stopped. The land slowly became drier and drier, and I guess some of the lions began to remember the rogues' prophecy because an old lion and a group of young adults, many who were my friends, came to my dad asking permission to leave. My dad couldn't force them, especially in those conditions to stay, so they left. They were the lucky ones, they got out in time. The land continued to wither away, and one night, somehow a fire was started, and it consumed half the kingdom before we even realized what was happening. That fire took the life of hundreds of animals-including my mother's...

_(Flashback)_

_The young lion could only stare as a huge blaze ravaged the dry land. He could hear the screams of many animals who hadn't been fast enough, and were devoured by the fire. His father was quickly gathering a large group of lionesses and their cubs and sending them to the other side of the kingdom, out of reach of the dangers of the smoke and flames. But then the lion noticed that someone was missing from the group..his mother. Turning back toward the fast-approaching blaze, he saw a dark figure running just ahead of it. He immediately recognized the lioness. _

"_Mom!" he yelled as he ran toward her. He had almost reached her when a blazing tree fell just in front of him, he barely got out of the way, and his fur was singed. Looking up he saw that the path to his mother was completely cut off. All he could do was watch as the dark lioness was trapped by a ring of flames. _

"_Mohatu Run! You can't stay here!" she screamed. _

"_No mom, I can't leave you!" he cried._

"_You must! Be brave, my son. I love you." and those were the lioness's last words before the fire closed in around her. The lion could only watch in horror as the flames consumed his mother, the last of her he would ever see were her terrified blue eyes pouring straight into his, as her screams of agony cut through the night and ripped through his soul. The next thing the lion knew was that another lion, his father, was shoving him toward the rest of the pride. _

_(End of Flashback) _

Mohatu stopped, the tears that had been gathering in his sad blue eyes, began to spill, but he quickly wiped them away and continued.

"Like I said that fire took many lives, and the few animals that had managed to escape, fled, never to return. And why would they, the sparse vegetation that had held on through the drought had been wiped out. A couple of months rolled by and one-by-one, lionesses began to disappear. Sometimes we'd find them dead out in the wasteland and some just never came back. It just kept happening until we were down to about seven lions, my dad and me included. Most of the lionesses left were in their prime, and extremely loyal to my dad. One of them though, was young, even younger than me, and when I happened to be walking by one day, out of nowhere, she attacked me. I was still very weak from the burns and this lioness had death in her eyes, she would've ripped my throat out if the other lionesses hadn't of pulled her off me. Then she turned on them...they had no choice but to kill her. I guess the lack of food and the painful losses we had suffered were too much for her and she just snapped. But the worst part of it was..that she...she was my little sister." Mohatu could no longer push away the tears as an overwhelming feeling of guilt, regret, and loss slammed into him. After a moment of sobs that shook him, Jolina stepped closer to him and nuzzled his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

This seemed to give him strength because he continued his tale.

"Then one day, I saw the group of lionesses talking to my dad. I wasn't close enough to hear, but I saw my dad nod sadly, and the group came over to me. The oldest lioness said that they couldn't stay any longer and that they'd asked my dad to come, but he wouldn't, but said he wanted them to take me with them. 'Will you come?' she asked. The question shocked me, but I knew the answer. 'No, I-I need to stay here with my dad, but thanks anyways and good luck.' And with that the remnants of our once mighty pride was gone. My dad was taking everything really hard and one morning...

_(Flashback)_

_The young lion woke to blood-stained sunlight pouring into the den that he now shared only with his dad. Noticing his father wasn't there he quickly stood and walked out. Looking around the area, he saw a sight that had become all too familiar, his father laying on the spot where his mother had been buried. The lion was about to walk away and give his father some privacy, but he noticed that his father's form was being very still...too still. _

"_Please..no," he thought as he ran to his father's side. But it was too late, the once wise and gentle king's eyes were closed, his body, that had seemed to age in a matter of months, stiff and cold...he was gone. This was too much, the pain he'd been able to hold back at the death of his mother, sister, friends, and his land could no longer be no longer be kept at bay. He let out a long, loud, sorrow-filled roar that the dead land echoed back. Then, viciously, he started to tear at the hard earth, he continued this process until the sun was setting. He climbed out of the deep hole, and gently placed the body of his father in the grave, next to those of his mother and sister, and buried him with the pile of dirt and his own tears. After the hard task was done, a sickening thought hit him as he sat near his family's graves, now that his father had passed, he was the king. Looking out across the scorched land, he almost laughed. He began loudly shouting,_

"_Yes, I am King now! King of this withered wasteland, leader of a great pride that no longer exists, ruler of this broken and scarred kingdom..."_

_(End of Flashback)_

"I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I just stayed. I guess at one point I hoped that some lions would show up and I could leave with them, but none ever came. Then I waited for the only thing I knew I could count on...death. I lasted for about a month before the pain and hunger were just too much. I couldn't take it anymore, so I just... gave up. I guess around that time you found me."

Mohatu's tears were spilling over freely, covering his mane in soft, wet pearls. The story he'd just shared was too sad for her to offer words of comfort, so she did the only thing she could, she nuzzled her head against his chin and mane. Despite his sorrow, he was slightly surprised by the gesture, but he then pulled her closer into him and rested his chin on her delicate head. As they intimately embraced, neither pulled away. They remained there, tears intermingling, as they held and comforted one another...

_A/N: All I can say after that is I hope you review and I appreciate your feedback. *Nantsingonyama*_


	11. Chapter 11: Fireflies

_A/N: Sorry about the wait, I took an online class this summer and had a boatload of work to finish. Thanks for the positive reviews on last chapter! The song I used in this chapter is called "Fireflies" hence name of chapter and is owned by the band Owl City. I recommend listening to the song. I do no own The Lion King or "Fireflies". _

* * *

Chapter 11. Fireflies

The emotions that she was feeling as she cried in the embrace of the lion were indescribable. She continued to nuzzle him, but then suddenly, he pulled away. His face twisted into something she couldn't decipher. Without a word, he began to walk away from her, and disappeared in the undergrowth. She hesitated, and then ran after him, confused. She could hear a storm brewing nearby. She'd almost reached him when, out of nowhere, a bolt of lightening struck a dead tree, causing it to crash to the ground in a burst of flames. She then found herself in the middle of a circling fire.

"Mohatu!" she pleaded. "Mohatu...Please... HELP ME!"

But it was no use, and when she looked up, the only thing she could make out beyond the haze of the smoke was a pair of sky blue eyes looking at her in horror, until a searing pain began to devour her. All she could her above her own screams of agony was, at the back of her mind, someone calling her name...

"Jolina, Jolina, WAKE UP!

Jolina eyes flew open, her breathing was labored, her heart racing. She saw a pair of blue orbs staring at her in concern, and she noticed her body was drenched in a layer of sweat.

"Uggghhh...What's happening?" she groaned, disoriented.

"You were having a nightmare." a masculine voice answered.

"A nightmare..." she suddenly remembered the ring of dancing flames that had surrounded her, and she let out a sigh of relief, as the lion's words sank in, it had only been a dream.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Uhh-you were screaming my name." he answered awkwardly.

"Oh." was all she could say.

After a moment, Mohatu asked,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jolina looked out of the den. The jungle was quiet...peaceful. She couldn't tell him about the nightmare, not when it had so closely mirrored his mother's own death. _"No."_ she decided, there was no need to upset anyone over a dream...no matter how terrifying it had been.

"No." she answered, shaking her head. "It was just a dream."

She then stood and began to walk out of the cave.

"Hey, where ya' going?" the lion questioned.

"I just need some fresh air, I'm sorry I woke you." she replied.

"No, it's alright, but are you OK?" he said.

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I'm just going to take a walk."

"Mind if I join you?" Mohatu asked.

"Not at all." Jolina responded with a smile.

And so the two young lions began contentedly strolling through the dark jungle, heading in no particular direction.

* * *

"_You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep."_

The moon that night was just shy of being a full circle, the sky was clear, and the stars bright. Jolina breathed in the crisp night air, along with the warm scent of the lion who walked beside her. As they approached an open field they stopped...

"_Cause they fill the open air, and leave teardrops everywhere, you'd think me rude, but I would just stand and...stare."_

Jolina and Mohatu looked out into the grassy field and saw strange, little blinking lights flying through the air, and resting on the grass.

"Whoa, what is that?" Jolina said.

"They're fireflies." Mohatu whispered.

"What's a firefly?" Jolina asked.

"You've never seen one before?" Mohatu replied.

"No, never." Jolina answered.

"Well, they're just these tiny little insects that light up at night." he said.

"Amazing...they're...beautiful." she whispered as she continued to stare.

Mohatu couldn't help but chuckle at the fascination that was in her gaze and tone. Then before he knew what was happening, she had taken off, diving into the sea of lights.

"_I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly, it's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, cause everything is never as it seems." _

Jolina plunged into the field and the flashing bugs scattered, filling the air with a lively glow. Struck by a cub-like awe, she began to spin about, laughing and batting her paw at the blinking insects. Mohatu joined her and the joy that had overtaken her, spilled over into him, and soon, he too, was dancing about the swirling lights.

"_Cause' I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightening bugs, as they try to teach me how to dance. A fox-trot above my head, a sock-hop beneath my bed, a disco-ball is just hanging by a thread..."_

" _I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly, it's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, cause everything is never as it seems." _

Jolina and Moahtu continued to frolic among the flashing lights that had created a circle around them.

"_To ten million fireflies, I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell, but I'll know where several are, if my dreams get real bizarre, cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar..."_

Suddenly the fireflies began to ascend higher into the air and fly off. The two lions began to chase them, when a misstep on Jolina's part caused her to fall into Mohatu, and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Recovering, they watched as most of the fireflies disappeared into the night. But then, Mohatu began to feel an odd tickling sensation in his mouth. Upon opening his jaw, Jolina saw that his whole mouth was aglow in a golden light, as three little fireflies frantically flew about. She burst into a wild fit of giggles as he spat the bugs out.

"Oh so you thinks that funny, do ya'?" he asked with a mock glare,

"Well, let's see what you think of this!" and he pounced at her.

But Jolina scrambled out of the way before he could pin her under his body, and releasing a gleeful scream, she darted toward the cover of the leafy jungle, Mohatu close on her heels.

"_I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly, it's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, cause everything is never as it seems." _

When Mohatu finally caught up, Jolina had easily hidden herself in the foliage. Mohatu was just about to discover her hiding place when a rustling noise from another bush caught his attention, and he stalked towards it.

Grinning slyly he said,

"OK Joli, you can give it up, I know where you are!"

When he parted the leaves though, instead of a lioness, he found a pair of huge eyes staring up at him, before the tiny creature leaped at his face with a hissing noise. It took him by surprise and before he could stop it, a shrill yelp escaped him. Jolina, who had yet again let out an explosion of laughter emerged from her hiding place.

"Well I WAS going to jump out and scare you, but it looks like that bush baby took care of that!"

Mohatu playfully growled at her.

"Oh and by the way, you scream like a girl." she commented with a cheeky smile.

Mohatu suddenly charged at her, but this time she held her ground, causing him to stop short. As she approached him, he could see the changed expression in her warm amber eyes. She came up to him and let the tip of her tail slid slowly beneath his chin, before turning and walking the other way, knowing he would follow. She led him to a small pool that was glimmering in the cascading moonlight. For the first time that night Mohatu realized how beautifully the pale moonlight reflected off her light fur, and how the twinkle in her eyes was more brilliant than that of the heavens above. To his surprise, she began to walk into the water, till' the only visible part of her body was her head and upper neck. She gestured for him to follow and he did. The two lions swam through the shimmering water, the occasional brush of their bodies becoming more frequent. Neither could deny the intoxicating attraction they felt for one another, and when they finally emerged from the water, they snuggled close near the shore and began innocently grooming one another's fur, completely giving in to the tender love that was blossoming between them.

"_I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns, slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because my dreams are bursting at the seams..."_

* * *

_A/N: Hope that wasn't too cheesy. I tried to make it an original love scene and to keep a balance between playing, flirting, and serious attraction. Anyways, the story is about to hit some pivotal moments and if you could take the time to answer these questions, I'd appreciate it._

_How would you describe Jolina's personality? Can you relate to her?_

_Same questions as above, but with Mohatu._

_Is the plot line interesting so far? _

_Three things I need to improve upon. _

_Thanks so much for your time. I believe that I can further mold and understand the characters and plot if I can get insight into how you, the reader sees them! *Nantsingonyama*_


	12. Chapter 12: The Storm

_A/N: Hey guys, I just want to thank you for all the lovely reviews I got on the last chapter. Thanks for answering those questions, they really gave me the insight I needed! So here we go..._

Chapter 12: The Storm

Two days after the night he'd spent with Jolina, Mohatu found himself alone. Jolina had gone to speak with Rafiki who had wanted her to fetch him some herbs that happened to grow near the den. She had, of course, invited Mohatu to come along, but he'd opted out, telling her that he'd wait for her at the den. The truth was though, he had something on his mind.

"_Oh man, what am doing?"_, he thought. _"I-I can't stay here, I have to leave, today. I love her, with all my heart, but I-I'm not good for her. I can't keep leading her on like this. If things were different, I could be with her. But I have nothing to offer her. No, she deserves someone who can give her a safe and plentiful home. Man, it's gonna' break her heart, but she'll understand. She has to..._

* * *

Jolina arrived back at the den to find Mohatu sitting on his haunches, a look of consternation upon his face. She went over to him.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he paused.

"Joli, we...we gotta' talk." he said looking at the ground.

Jolina sat down, she didn't like the tone in his voice, but asked anyway,

"What about?"

"Look Joli, the past few weeks I've been here have been great, and I've never been happier in my life, but..." he trailed off.

"But what?" she said.

"It's just that, well, I-I can't stay here any longer." he said. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I get it." she replied.

"You do?" he said as his eyes lifted from the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't think that you'd want to stay here forever, neither do I. Mohatu, if you want to try and find another pride or something, I would love to come with you." she said.

Mohatu sighed and looked at the ground. She had totally missed the point.

"Joli, that's not exactly what I meant." he said.

"Then what did you mean?" she asked, suddenly not liking where this was going.

"Well, when I said I couldn't stay here any longer, that's exactly what I meant. I'm leaving Joli...alone."

"Alone?" she echoed. "B-but I thought we-"

But her cut her off and in a voice raised in frustration said,

"Well you thought wrong OK! "

Then the look of hurt that had been building in her features suddenly turned- stone cold.

"I see." she said cooly.

"Joli-please" but she stopped him.

"Don't-don't call me that!"

"I-I'm sorry..." he began.

"No it's fine, you can go, please don't let me slow you done."

"Jolina please. You don't understand."

"No Mohatu, I think it's you who doesn't understand, I said you can go, so GO! Oh and you wanna something else?" she spat.

"I got along just fine without you before, and I'll be just fine without you now!" And with that she turned and fled, but not before he could see her hard look twist in pain, along with tears that spilled from her cheeks, and that shattered his heart. He almost went after her, but stopped himself,

"_No, it has to be this way, for both of us."_ And then he turned and left.

* * *

Jolina ran through the jungle, the tears soaking her cheeks. Out of breath, she flung herself to the ground near the place, on the shore of the pool, where she had given her heart away. She sobbed as the pain tore through her from the hole, that had been so close to being healed, was ripped open again. Her mind furthered tortured her bleeding heart as it asked questions like, "_What did I do wrong, was I just not good enough?"_. All the moments that she's spent in pure ecstasy and happiness with Mohatu began to replay through her head and all she could do was cry.

"_Oh he taught me to love him and called me his flower, that was blooming to cheer him through life's dreary hour. How I long to see him and regret the dark hour, he's gone and neglected this pale wildwood _flower..."

Several hours passed, but her heartache and tears didn't subside. Then, she felt something cold and wet hit her nose, but this time it wasn't a tear. It was a raindrop. Regaining her senses, somewhat, Jolina noticed that the wind was violently shaking the trees and other plants in the undergrowth. Upon hearing a loud burst of thunder she quickly headed back in the direction of the den for shelter from the on-coming tempest.

* * *

Mohatu slowly trudged away from the place where he had broken the heart of the only lioness he knew he would ever truly love. Part of him was telling him that he'd done the right thing. The best thing for her, but the other part was calling him an idiot for taking true love, for he knew that's what he had with Jolina, and throwing it away with both paws. He heard a rumble of thunder and knew that a storm was fast approaching. He needed to find shelter. Soon he spotted a little space that was carefully tucked under a large and leafy bush. Just as he was ducking under one of the larger branches of the shrub, a dark hand flew up in his face, and a familiar laugh filled his ears. Looking up he saw the familiar face of a laughing mandrill, Rafiki.

"What are you doing out here at a time like dis?" the mandrill asked, swinging down from his perch on a nearby tree.

Mohatu hung his head and replied,

"I-I hate to tell you this Rafiki, but I-I'm leaving."

"Leaving you say. Ummm interesting." the mandrill said while rubbing his chin. Then he began to smile , "I dought dat you and Jolina had become rather...friendly?"

Mohatu sighed, "Look Rafiki, I-I know you must think I'm horrible for abandoning her, but I-I'm not good enough for her!"

"She does not seem to dink dat." Rafiki said after a moment.

"I have nothing to offer her. She needs someone who can give her a home and safety." the lion answered.

The mandrill paused for a moment and then said,

"You really dink dat safety and security are de only dings dat matter to a lioness like Jolina?"

Mohatu said nothing.

"Come, I have someding to show you that I dink will change your mind." and the mandrill began to walk deeper into the foliage. Rafiki parted a few branches, revealing a small, clear spring of water.

"Look at and tell me what you see." the mandrill gestured to the water.

Mohatu gazed down and found nothing apart from the reflection of his own image, half of which was covered by the shadows of the trees.

"Um, all I see is my reflection." he stated.

"Ummm...Yes, but it seems to me dat someding is missing." Rafiki cryptically replied.

Glancing back down and finding nothing out of the usual, Mohatu answered,

"Yeah, you can only see half of my reflection because..." he trailed off as the message hit him loud and clear.

"Rafiki, my other half is missing. Jolina IS my other half! I'm not complete without her."

Rafiki nodded his head, "Now you understand."

I have to go back. I-I have to tell her I was wrong. Do you think she'll ever be able to forgive me?"

"I dink dat she will." the mandrill replied.

"_I can't believe what an idiot I am, I almost made the biggest mistake of my life." _Mohatu said to himself, but Rafiki promptly interrupted.

"What are you doing just standing dere, GO! Or do you need a bit more guidance?" the mandrill said, threateningly waving his stick at the brown-maned lion.

"No, no, that won't be necessary." Mohatu said.

But before he left, he turned back around and said,

"Thanks." He then turned and charged through the jungle.

* * *

Jolina was now struggling against the violent force of the wind. Though the rain had ceased, the thunder had become increasingly louder, and soon huge bolts of lightning were dancing down from the clouds. Jolina was still a long way from the shelter of the den, when she noticed an odd smell. It seemed familiar, but fresher, closer. Looking up she saw, in horror, that she knew exactly what that smell was and from where it came. Smoke. Then Jolina found herself trapped in an all-too-familiar wall of flames, except this time, it wasn't a dream...

_A/N: Well there it is, hope you enjoyed. The verse in this story is from "Wildwood Flower" by June Carter. I love June Carter, but for this song, I prefer the version of it by Reese Witherspoon. You should check it out, it's a good song and I thought it fit well here. Please leave a review! *Nantsingonyama*_


	13. Chapter 13: Saving Jolina

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. Sorry, I haven't had much time to read all of your stories, but I'm getting to them! Anyways...enjoy! _

_7-1-13: Hello danny, thanks for your reviews on my story, you really don't know how much it means to me. I hope my explanation satisfied you in regards to Rafiki's age. Also, don't fret, you will be seeing more of Zazi later on. Again, thanks so much for the reviews and if it suited you, perhaps you could get an account so that I could thank you properly in a private message. :)_

* * *

Chapter 13: Saving Jolina

Mohatu was plunging through the thick undergrowth to find Jolina and beg her forgiveness, when a familiar smell, one that had haunted him in his many nightmares, filled his senses. Looking up, he saw a sight that made his heart stop...the eerie glow of dancing flames. "No, Jolina!" he cried before bolting toward the blaze.

* * *

Jolina's heart was pounding as she realized that she was hopelessly trapped in the circle of the deadly blaze. She desperately tried to find gaps in the wall of fire, but there were none. As it began to close in, she could feel the searing heat hit her body causing her to gasp. The smoke was becoming too much for her, she felt herself slipping from consciousness, she tried to hang on, but it was no use. She thought she saw a dark figure appear on the other side of the fire before, darkness...

* * *

Mohatu arrived just in time to see Jolina's amber eyes cut through him before she succumbed to the effects of the smoke. A haunted memory from the past came echoing back to him, he saw another lioness, this one with a dark pelt, be swallowed by the monstrous flames. A feeling of pure rage and resolution filled his soul,

"_No, not again, this will not happen again, I won't let it!" _

And with a mighty roar, he leaped through the wall of flames. Ignoring the burning pain that was coursing through him, Mohatu somehow managed to lift Jolina onto his back, and jump back through the blaze, doing his best to shelter her body from the burning wall with his own. Without turning to stop or glance back, he began to run.

* * *

Mohatu had never ran faster in his life, even though he was supporting the extra weight of Jolina's body. They had escaped the oasis many hours ago, but Mohatu had continued running, and Jolina remained unconscious. Guided by the light of the moon, he finally came to an open savanna, though the night was much too dark for him to see much. But he did finally spy a cave. It was small and exposed, but deciding it was the best option he had, he entered the den, and slid Jolina's limp body off his back. Looking her over, he was relieved to see that her breathing was normal and that she had suffered little from the fire. He too, by some miracle, had sustained little injury than a few minor burns. As he watched her, tears flooded his eyes as he realized how close he had come to losing her.

"Never..._never again will I leave her, if she'll take me back, and never will I love another the way I love her."_ he vowed to himself.

Just then, Jolina began to stir, finally her eyes opened and she looked up at Mohatu.

"Wh-where am I?" she asked.

"Jolina, I-I don't know." he answered.

Then she remembered the fire that had overtaken the jungle,

"Mohatu, we have to get out of here, the FIRE!"

She suddenly stood and was about to run, when Mohatu jumped in front of her,

"Jolina, calm down, we're not in the oasis anymore."

Jolina was now thoroughly confused, then another thought hit her.

"Wait, how-I was in the fire, how am I here? I should be DEAD!"

"Jolina, I found you and got you out." Mohatu said.

The meaning behind his few words didn't escape her, and she said.

"You-you saved me? But h-how, you left." she said sadly.

"I know Joli, I was wrong and I'm so, so sorry. I-I love you." he said.

"You love me? Then why did you leave, you said there was nothing between us." she replied.

"I know Joli, but I lied. And none of that matters anymore. I love you as I have never, and will never, love anyone else. Jolina, I can't live without you. I love your strength and compassion. Your mere presence is intoxicating. Your everything to me. You saved me in many more ways than just my life. When I'd thought I'd lost you..." he chocked.

Jolina's heart twisted and she said,

"Oh Mohatu, I- I love you too. I always have, ever since I first saw laying in the wasteland."

Mohatu embraced her, and the passion that flowed between them as they showered each other in tears and kisses, was over-whelming to them both. Finally Mohatu pulled away slightly and looked at her.

"Joli, I promise you that I will never leave you, and that I will love and protect you till' the moment I take my last breath... I know we've only known one another for a little while, but I feel like I've known you for a lifetime. Your the only thing I have left to live for, you the only thing I _want _to live for... I think when you finally meet the "one", you know...Joli, I guess what I'm asking is...will you marry me?"

Jolina's eyes went wide open, and she could only stare at him. Then, finally, she said, in a trembling voice,

"Oh Mohatu, I love you with my whole heart and entire soul. I'd follow you to the ends of this world and beyond. Yes, I will marry you."

The two lions embraced again, speaking to one another the depth of their love and passion through their eyes and kisses. Mere words were not enough to express the emotions and feelings they shared. After a moment, Jolina spoke

"I think we should get some sleep, its been a bit of an eventful day."

"I'll say." Mohatu replied.

Jolina paused as she realized something terrible,

"Wait, Mohatu, the fire, what about Rafiki?"

"I-I don't know..." Mohatu told her sadly.

Jolina lay down on the den floor and began to cry over her lost friend, she had been very close to Rafiki. Perhaps his stories and wisdom reminded her of the happy times she'd spent with her mother. Mohatu then come over and lay down beside her, giving her a comforting nuzzle.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about Rafiki, he can take care of himself. Besides, I have a feeling that it would take a lot more than a little bit of smoke and flames to kill that old loon!" he told her with a laugh.

Despite her worry, Jolina smiled too,

"Yeah. I think your right."

"Goodnight Mohatu." she said.

"Goodnight my angel, sweet dreams." he whispered in her ear.

Mohatu watched as Jolina settled her head into her favorite spot on the side of his shoulder, nestled into the thick mane. This time though, he did place his paw over her body, because, at last, she belonged to him, and he to her. He glanced down at her sweet face as she drifted off, and he wandered how he'd ever got so lucky. Smiling once more and placing his head down, he too fell off to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed. It was a bit short, but a lot happened. I suppose this is the end of the unofficial part one. The next few chapters, some of the things that you might have been wondering about will be revealed and some loose ends will be tied. I AM BEGGING FOR REVIEWS! PLEASE! Chapter 14 will be here soon! BTW do you think Mohatu popped the question too soon or was it the right moment? Thanks! *Nantsingonyama*_


	14. Chapter 14: Sunrise

A/N: First of all I'd like to extend a thank you to **kora22, WolvesHunt101, Warriorcat119, PuttingQuillOnParchment, milele yako, kate, Bang-Bang Shot to the Head, mimoo01, Black Cat, snheetah, TLKLover 1212, **_and _**YellowFlash67**. _Your support has helped me to keep this story going and your tips and suggestions have helped me improve as a writer. Thanks and I hope you continue to read this story and leave reviews. To the others who have been reading this story, I truly hope you are enjoying it and would be delighted if you left me a review. But if you cannot, thanks for reading this story and I hope you continue to do so. And without further ado..._

* * *

Chapter 14: Sunrise

Jolina's eyes fluttered open, and she glanced at the peaceful lion that her head was nestled against. She also noticed that his paw was placed protectively over her. Smiling, she remembered last night, when she'd found out that he'd come back and risked his life to save her. She didn't know why he'd come back, but she didn't care, all that mattered now was that he was with her. When he'd confessed his love to her, she knew his words to be true, and when he'd asked her to marry him, how could she have said anything, but yes. Carefully sliding her nimble body out from his paw, she stepped out of the small den, in hopes that she could return with breakfast before he woke. But what she saw nearly took her breath away. She ran back over to the sleeping lion and began to nudge him, telling him to wake.

"What-uh?" he said.

"Mohatu, c'mon, you have to see this!" she yelped excitedly.

So with a yawn, he rose and followed her to the mouth of the den, and his eyes widened in wonder. It was one of the most beautiful sights either of them had ever seen. There were miles and miles of rolling seas of green grass in every direction. Leafy trees dotted the horizon of the big, open, blue sky. The sun was spectacularly rising over the land, its rays cutting through the early morning fog and bathing the landscape in a shimmering shade of golden light.

"It-it's beautiful." Jolina whispered.

"I've never seen anything like it." Mohatu replied.

But the most striking feature of the land was a huge stone mountain that rose up from the land, and its majestic promontory seemed to be kissing the sky itself. Jolina and Mohatu could only stare in awe, taking in the majesty and beauty of the heaven that they had found themselves in.

* * *

After watching the mesmerizing sunrise, Jolina and Mohatu decided to have a look around the beautiful landscape, and see if they could find food. The deeper into the territory they went, the more breathtaking it became. As they walked through the tall, lush grass, each drank in the rich, earthy smell that filled the air. Soon they reached a large waterhole, filled to the brim with glimmering, clear water. Both lions immediately dipped their tongues into the cool liquid, neither having ever tasted water that was so pure and sweet. After both had satisfied their thirst Jolina nudged Mohatu and pointed to something in the distance. A huge herd of zebra were grazing nearby, contently munching on the dew-kissed grass.

"Joli, are you crazy? I'm hungry too, but there's no way we can take down a zebra!" Mohatu whispered to her.

Jolina thought for a moment, then replied,

"Your right, WE can't. I'll have to do it alone."

"WHAT?!" Mohatu said.

"Darling, as handsome as it is, your mane will alert the herd to our presence. Sorry love, I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out." she said, smiling.

Mohatu thought for a moment, he'd been hunting with Jolina many times, or rather he'd watched _her _hunt many times. He knew she was a skilled huntress, she never missed her target, but that had been with oblivious little forest deer, who presented no threat, other than escaping, to a lion. Zebra on the other hand, were a whole different story, they were always on the guard for predators, and a well-placed kick from one of their hooves could easily kill a lion. But Mohatu also knew that when Jolina set her mind to something, there wasn't much he could do to dissuade her, but if any creature could bring down a zebra single- handedly, he knew that it was her. So, shaking his head, he replied,

"Look, I think we both know that when you set your mind to something, there's not much I can do to stop you...except sit on you maybe." the last part he said with a sly grin, to which she raised her eyebrows , but then his face became serious again, and he continued,

"So will you just promise me that you'll be careful."

Jolina smiled and replied,

"Of course." and she gave him a light kiss on his cheek, before turning and silently stalking toward the ever-weary zebra. As she crouched low, her usual playful and gentle expression transformed into a fierce concentration of focus and power. She breathed slowly, in and out, feeling her own heartbeat become one with that of the earth under her paws. She melted into the tall grass, which her beige coat blended perfectly into. It had been a rare opportunity for her to hunt zebra in her tropical homes and as she relished the challenged she racked her memory for the specific strategies her mother had taught her. "_Ok, target a weak or old one, and avoid hooves._" she coached herself. As she expertly scouted the herd for the perfect target, she noticed that one of the zebra had picked up its head and begun to alert the others. _"It's now or never." _she thought as she darted from her cover in the grass. She was already moving in on her next victim, and just as she was about to make the killing leap, something intercepted her, knocking her to the ground with a hard thump. Recovering she found herself looking straight into the eyes of a large lioness...

* * *

_A/N: Sorry about the cliff-hanger. I don't necessarily do them on purpose, it's just that they always happen to be at the place I stop for the transition into the next chapter. I know you recognize the land we're now in, and I hope I gave a description that did it justice. Btw if you need a better visual of what Jolina looks like, picture a lighter and browner version of Kiara, with same amber eyes. As I was telling one of my reviewers, I wanted to make Jolina different than a lot of the stereotypes that come with many lead female roles. She isn't naturally feisty, hotheaded, or just plain ill-tempered. Jolina has a regal spirit and a sense of wisdom. Though she is still playful and adventurous, and not saying she cannot be firey when the times call for it ,she just isn't unecessarily rude to others . At the same time though, she isn't the vulnerable, weak love interest of the hero. This is Jolina's story, she IS the hero. And thus has those nobler qualities. _


	15. Chapter 15: Zuria's Story

_A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews. And on with the story! Btw, I'd like to recommend a story to you, it's called "A New Chapter" and the author is '**cantthinkofasuitableusername '**. The story if I'm correct, is fairly new, but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I suggest that all of you read it also! _

* * *

Chapter 15: Zuria's Story 

Jolina stood up as the lioness began circling her. To Jolina it seemed that the lioness was evaluating her, because she was looking Jolina up and down with a cold stare, then the large lioness spoke,

"Where did you come from?"

"I-uh-I don't really know." Jolina stammered.

"Well, where are your companions?" the tan lioness asked. Then she added,

"Surely your not trying to hunt a zebra herd alone?"

Jolina didn't understand the point of the lioness's cold, calculating questions, but decided honesty was the best policy,

"Actually I am hunting alone, but I not here by myself."

The lioness paused and then said,

"How many of you are?"

Jolina didn't understand her meaning at first but then answered,

"Just two. "

The lioness nodded her head, almost...sadly, then said,

"I see, and is your companion a male or a female."

Jolina wasn't sure how much information she should divulge, but the lioness wasn't really giving her a choice.

"Male." she answered.

"His name?" the lioness questioned.

"...Mohatu." Jolina answered.

The lioness stopped in her tracks, her cool, calculating gaze melted into an expression of shock. She finally replied,

"What did you say?"

"His name is Mohatu." Jolina answered, wondering what it was to this lioness.

"No it can't be." the lioness said more to herself than Jolina. Then she stood up resolutely and said,

"Can you take me to him?"

Jolina paused, wondering what this lioness wanted with Mohatu, but she answered,

"Ummm, I suppose."

So she then led the tan lioness back to the place she had left Mohatu, praying that she wasn't putting him or herself in danger.

* * *

Mohatu looked up from the place he was sitting near the waterhole, when he heard rustling in the grass. He smiled when he saw Jolina approaching, but his face turned to confusion when he saw a tan lioness emerge from the grass behind her. When they got closer, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Zuria?" he said.

"Oh Mohatu, it is you!" the lioness cried.

Then the two lions embraced in a friendly nuzzle. Jolina, at the moment, was too overwhelmed to recognize the pang of jealousy that shot through her. The tan lioness finally asked,

"How-How are you here?"

"I'll explain later. Have you met Jolina?"

Jolina then broke in and said, rather coldly, but not enough for Mohatu to detect,

"Well we met, but haven't been introduced."

"Well, Jolina, this is Zuria, she and I grew up together."

"And Zuria, this is my fiance, Jolina." Mohatu said.

Jolina stepped forward and said, this time without hardness,

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well, and congratulations to you both."

Zuria replied,

Jolina assumed that this lioness was a part of the group that had left Mohatu's kingdom before the fire. Her thoughts were confirmed when Mohatu asked,

"So where is everyone else? If this is your new home, it looks like you all did pretty well for yourselves."

The tan lioness's eyes dropped to the ground and a tear slid down her cheek. And she replied,

"I'm afraid things are not as well as they may seem."

"What do you mean Zuria?" Mohatu asked alarmed.

"It's a very long story." she whispered to him.

This time it was Jolina who spoke, the sadness in the lioness's eyes had melted the slight resentment that she had towards her.

"Please tell us, we've got plenty of time."

The tan lioness nodded her head and said,

"Very well, I will tell you."

* * *

(_Flashback)_

_The group of seven young lions lay gathered around their older companion, listening intently to the words he was saying,_

"_I have seen many things in my life...The rains will not be returning soon. I'm afraid the __deterioration that we've already witnessed will only continue to worsen." Ejira, an elderly, light brown male said to the young adults around him._

"_What about the warning those strange rogues gave the king, do you think there was any truth in their words?", one of the younger males asked._

"_Yes Raoul I do, and now there's is only one thing to be done." Ejira answered._

"_What are you suggesting Ejira?" an almost black lioness with blue eyes, Kanya, asked sharply._

"_We must leave if we are to survive." the old lion answered._

_The young lions all sat in silent shock, until one of the lionesses, this one big-boned, but still attractive with light tan fur and honey brown eyes, spoke up,_

"_I for one agree with Ejira, we have to leave."_

"_But Zuria, where are we to go? Many of us haven't even seen the whole kingdom, much less what's beyond the borders." Ilanga, a light tannish-gold, lioness voiced._

_At this Jano, affectionately nicknamed 'Strawberry' because of his reddish-blonde pelt, spoke, _

"_Then I suppose we will have to rely upon Ejira's guidance."_

_After several more minutes of discussion passed, Raoul spoke,_

"_So it's settled then, tomorrow we go to seek the king's permission and then we leave by noon."_

_All the lion's nodded their agreement before returning to the pride's den for the night. _

_(End of Flashback)_

"As you know, the next day we asked your father for permission to leave, which he granted. Raoul was very upset, though he wouldn't let on, he wanted you to come with us Mohatu, but he knew you would never leave your parents. So, just as we had planned, we headed out around noon, unsure of what was ahead of us.

_(Flashback)_

_The group of lions traveled for a few hours before they reached the border. As they crossed, each lion looked back, and hoped that what was ahead of them was better than what they were leaving behind. But one of the lion's hung back from the rest, staring out across the land that had been his home for so long. _

"_Hey, you alright?" Zuria asked Raoul._

"_Yeah, I-I just feel like I'm abandoning my best friend." he sighed._

"_Raoul, your doing the right thing, and I have no doubt in my mind that we will see him again one day." Zuria reassured him._

_Both lions then turned to catch up with the others._

_(End of Flashback)_

"So we continued on for several days, occasionally stopping for rest and food. The terrain didn't change much, that is until we reached the ugliest and filthiest place I have ever seen in my life. Not only was it barren, but there were huge skeletons laying in mounds all about the place. Ejira said it was an 'elephant graveyard'. Anyways we pushed on for a few more days, without food or water. Honestly I don't think we would've made it if it hadn't been for Raoul's encouragement...and Izogies jokes of course."

Mohatu then spoke up, laughing said,

"I'm sure he was having a hay-day making his wisecracks."

"You know it!" Zuria said smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Then finally we reached the end of the horrible land and stepped into the most beautiful place any of us had ever seen."

_(Flashback)_

_The exhausted lions stood mesmerized by the beautiful landscape. Finally Raoul spoke,_

"_Okay guys, keep your eyes open for other lions and let's see if we can find some water. We'll do some scouting and hunting tomorrow, but tonight I think it best if we all get some rest."_

_Soon, the lions found a waterhole, and after satisfying their burning tongues and parched throats, they began to settle into the lush grass for the night. As they were all starting to doze off, one of the lionesses, this one the youngest and shyest, said meekly,_

"_Umm...Raoul, should we have someone keep watch?"_

_Raoul looked at the shy little lioness and said,_

"_Of course Eme, I'm so glad you thought of that." _

_Just then another lion spoke, _

"_I'll keep first watch Raoul."_

"_Thanks Strawberry, wake me in about an hour?" Raoul asked._

"_Sure thing." the blonde-maned lion said._

_Several hours passed, and it was Zuria's turn to keep watch. Everything was quiet and peaceful, and then she heard footsteps. She nudged Raoul, who was sleeping near her. He opened his eyes and she said,_

"_Raoul, somethings coming."_

_Immediately he became alert and told her to wake the others. As soon as she had done so she heard Raoul say,_

"_Who goes there, show yourself!"_

_But the only response was a sinister chuckle, and out from the shadows in every direction came the figures of lions. The only lion that was clearly visible was dark and scrawny and he said,_

"_Well, well, well, looks like we found ourselves some trespassers boys!"_

_Zuria and her companions then found themselves completely surrounded. The dark lion then commanded, _

"_Take the females, kill the males."_

_Zuria heard one of the lionesses scream, it was Eme, as she was hauled up by a huge lion. She then saw Kanya snarl at another, but before the dark lioness could leap, she was violently knocked to the ground. Zuria heard the growls of Raoul, Strawberry, and Izogie, before she felt herself be hoisted off her feet, and roughly shoved along with the other lionesses. _

_(End of Flashback)_

* * *

"We were taken to that huge rock formation and told that if we wanted to live, we had better do what we were told. We never knew what had become of the boys, and we have to assume that they're probably dead." Zuria stopped, tears sliding down her cheeks. Mohatu then said,

"Who are those lions, and what have they forced you to do?" Zuria took a deep breath and began speaking,

"There are five of them, Ponjo, Ash, Kelsh, Kambili, and Sinjun. We think they're just a gang of rogues who moved into the vacated land and are trying to establish a pride. The four of us are the only females. Ponjo and Ash are just a couple of blockheads who obey their every order. Kelsh isn't much older than little Eme, and is pushed around a lot, though he's not nearly as cruel as the others. Kambili is cold and hard, and he's Sinjun's second in command. Sinjun is their leader and forces everyone to refer to him as 'the boss'. He's a scrawny little lion, but he's clever. He uses his cunning to manipulate the dumber ones and they practically worship him. We're forced to hunt four of five times a day, not including what we have to supply for ourselves. When we leave the 'rock', we're always escorted by at least two of them. Sinjun is extremely paranoid that someone will try to overthrow him and he keeps the borders very secure. They have made advances on us, but we've all been able to evade them, though that probably won't last much longer." Zuria then shuddered and turned to Jolina.

"We've been hoping that a group of lions would show up and help us escape, which is why I was asking you so many questions. I thought maybe you had more friends, but I'm afraid there's not much you can do Mohatu, there's only one of you and five of them. If they knew you were here, they would kill you and take Jolina. Speaking of which, you guys are way too far in, they could've easily seen you by now." Zuria said worriedly.

"We have to think of a way to get you and the others out. " Mohatu said.

Zuria thought for a moment,

"I could get the others together and we could try sneaking off around noon. It's risky, but Sinjun and the others are usually snoozing around that time. If you guys will hide in those acacia groves for the night, we can meet there around that time tomorrow."

"Alright tomorrow then." Mohatu said.

"I'd better get back before those buffoons realize I'm not there. Goodbye, and thank you so much, both of you."

As Mohatu and Jolina carefully made their way to the acacia grove that Zuria had pointed out to them, Mohatu said,

"We have to get them outta' there Joli."

She nuzzled him and said,

"We will."

* * *

_A/N: Ok, covered a lot of ground in that chapter. Hope it wasn't confusing, we changed dynamics, instead of just two characters, there was a whole boatload in this chapter! If it was hard to understand with so many characters, please leave tips on how I can make it better! Below is an ordered description of the new lions, some of the name meanings are real some are not. Please review! And the next chapter is coming soon! _

* * *

_'Mohatu's Friends'_

_(Males)_

_-Ejira: 'believe' , elderly male (15 years), strong build, light tan pelt, brown mane, grayish-blue eyes._

_-Jano: 'cheer',(a.k.a Strawberry) 5 years, medium build, reddish-cream pelt, blonde mane, green eyes_

_-Izogie: 'I choose laughter', 5 years, large build, orange pelt, black mane, brown eyes_

_-Raoul:'loyal' 5 years, medium-large build, tan pelt, brown mane, hazel eyes_

_(Females)_

_-Zuria: 'noble' , 5 years ,large female, tan pelt, blonde tail tuft, deep brown eyes_

_-Ilanga:'sun', 4 years, medium female, tannish-gold, brown tail tuft, orange eyes_

_-Kanya 'ebony', 5 years, medium female, deep, dark gray pelt (almost black), light blue eyes, black tail tuft_

_-Eme'peace', 3 years, small female, dark cream pelt, light brown tail tuft, hazel eyes _

_'Sinjun's Gang'_

_-Sinjun: scrawny, dusty gray pelt, black mane, grayish-green eyes._

_-Kambili: lean, muscular, dusty brown pelt, brown mane, green eyes_

_-Ash: medium, light gray pelt, dark brown mane, hazel eyes_

_-Kelsh: small, reddish-brown pelt, brown mane, gray eyes_

_-Ponjo: gigantic and muscular, tan fur, brown mane, brown eyes_


	16. Chapter 16: Reunited

_A/N: Hey guys! If you noticed, I did change font because Ilanga's name looked like llanga. So that's that if you were wondering. Well here we go..._

* * *

Chapter 16: Reunited

It was now mid-morning. Mohatu and Jolina had been able to bring down an old and crippled wildebeest that had wandered from it's herd to the edge of the grove. Now they waited for noon to come and the meeting with Zuria and the other lionesses. To make the waiting a bit more bearable, they had decided to take a stroll about the woodland. Going around a particularly nasty looking thorn patch, they stumbled upon a group of male lions.

* * *

"Raoul?" Mohatu said, shocked.

"Mohatu?" the brown-maned lion replied.

The two old friends rushed to one another and exchanged brief hugs and looks of shock.

"Mohatu, dude, where did you come from?", an orange, black-maned lion said, while giving Mohatu a slap on the back. Two more lions approached Mohatu, smiles on their faces.

"It is good to see you Mohatu." the older lion said.

"You as well Ejira." Mohatu answered. Then he turned to the blonde-maned lion and said,

"Strawberry, how ya' doing?"

The reddish-cream pelted lion smiled and said,

"Oh you know, about the same as always."

"That bad, uh'?" Mohatu said and the others laughed.

Jolina had watched the reunion from a small distance, a smile upon her face. Then the orange lion turned his attention to her,

"Well, and who is this lovely creature?"

Jolina blushed as Mohatu walked over to where she stood, and said

"This is Jolina."

Then the orange lion, who she assumed was Izogie, pushed past Mohatu and spoke to Jolina,

"A name as beautiful as she. Say, how about we go for a stroll or something?" he asked with a grin, to which she blushed even more, then Mohatu interrupted,

"I'm afraid that's not possible Izogie, you see, Jolina is my fiance."

The other lions all congratulated them, but Izogie whispered, though loud enough for everyone to hear,

"Well, if you ever get tired of this old stick in the mud, I'm all yours baby!" he told her with a wink.

Before he could restrain it, Mohatu let out an audible growl, to which the others snickered and Izogie, laughing said

"Chill, dude, chill."

Mohatu quickly tried changing the subject and said,

"Hey we saw Zuria, and she told us what happened. At that all the other males let out low growls and Izogie shouted,

"Those scrawny, good-for-nothing, yellow-bellied cowards snuck up on us and took the girls, before we even had a chance to fight!"

Raoul, on the other hand asked in a concerned voice,

"Is she ok? Are they alright?"

"She seemed ok, for the moment. We've arranged a meeting with her in a few minutes. They don't even think that you guys are still alive." Mohatu told them.

"Well, we wouldn't be if it hadn't been for Ejira." Strawberry said.

"Yeah, who knew that this old geezer could kick-butt like that!" Izogie added.

"Well I'm glad that at least one of you knows how to take of themselves. C'mon we've got to get back." Mohatu said, as he lead the others to the meeting place.

When Mohatu, Jolina, and the others arrived, Zuria and the other lionesses were already there waiting. Zuria spoke,

* * *

"Oh Mohatu, thank goodness, we were starting to worry that something had happened..." but she trailed off when she saw four familiar male lions emerge from the trees.

"Your still alive?" she murmured, shocked. Some of the other lionesses gasped.

And before anyone could respond, the lionesses rushed forward and were nuzzling each of the lions-including Mohatu. Jolina on the other hand, could only stand back at bit awkwardly, though she was happy to see the friends reunited. Mohatu, seeing her standing alone, came over to her. All the lions and lionesses calmed as they saw Mohatu nuzzle the beige lioness.

"Zuria, guys, you all have met Jolina. But Kanya, Ilanga, and Eme, I like you to meet Jolina, she's my f-", but he was cut off by Izogie who said loudly,

"She's his FI-AN-CE!"

Mohatu glared at the orange lion, but mumbled,

"Yes, thank you."

Jolina stepped forward to the other lionesses and said,

"It's truly a pleasure to meet you."

After all the lionesses had exchanged greetings and goodwill, a dark lioness spoke up,

"Mohatu I think we all want to know how the heck your here."

Mohatu then nodded his head, and told his friends what happened to the kingdom, and how Jolina had found him and saved him, and how the fire had drove them from the oasis and to where they were now. All the lions murmured apologies to Mohatu about his parents and thanked Jolina for saving their old friend's life. Then Kanya, ever the blunt, asked again,

"So Mohatu, what's your plan for busting us outta' here?"

This time, however, if was Raoul who spoke,

"Kanya, before we can construct a plan, we need to know more about who we're dealing with."

Zuria then told the group of males what she'd shared with Mohatu and Jolina the day before. After her tale, it was Mohatu that spoke,

"We need to think of a way to separate them, we can't just attack and not expect some serious casualties, even if we do out number them, and that's not a chance I'm willing to take."

The others nodded in agreement. At this Jolina stepped forward and said,

"If I may, I think I have a plan..."

* * *

_A/N: Please leave a review. Do like the new lions? Which are your favorites? *Nantsingonyama*_


	17. Chapter 17: Jolina's Plan

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This is a shorter chapter, but I think you like it..."_

* * *

Chapter 17: Jolina's Plan

"As Mohatu was saying, we need to separate them without arousing suspicion." Jolina stated.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Mohatu asked.

"By utilizing a very deadly and effective weapon." she said with a sly grin.

"What weapon Joli?" Mohatu asked.

Her grin grew wider as she flicked her tail and said,

"feminine charm".

The other lionesses all looked at one another and smiled, knowing where this was going. The males on the other hand looked around, confused.

"What are you saying Joli?" Mohatu asked.

"Let me explain, you'll understand." she then continued,

"Now the first part will be up to you ladies... Which one of you, oh how shall I out this, which one of you is the best flirt?"

At that the males snickered and Izogie yelled,

"Eme for sure!"

The poor little lioness could only look at the ground in embarrassment, blushing at Izogie's joke at her expense. Then Kanya spoke up,

"Oh, can it fuzz-for-brain!" she snapped at Izogie, then turned her attention back to Jolina,

"Whatever you've got in mind for that kind of thing, I'm your girl!"

"Good." Jolina answered. Then she went on to explain the rest of her plan. After she told the lionesses what they were to do, she said,

"Now we're going to have to lead Sinjun and Kambili away."

"Yeah, there's no way they'd fall for the flirting bit." ,

the dark gold lioness, Ilanga said.

"Right." Jolina said.

"They want more lionesses, yes?" Jolina asked.

The other lionesses nodded.

"Okay, Eme, this is where you come in. Your going to tell Sinjun and Kambili that you spotted a strange lioness on the eastern border." Jolina said.

"Yeah, only problem is, there won't be a strange lioness there, and they'll know somethings up."

Strawberry said.

"No, there will be a lioness there." she answered.

"How, they already know the four of us too well for that to work." Zuria said.

Jolina then replied,

" It will work because the 'strange lioness' won't be any of you."

"Who, then?" Zuria asked.

"Me." Jolina answered.

Mohatu opened his eyes wide and said,

"Joli, no! That's way too dangerous."

"Mohatu, it's the only way. And they won't harm me, they're trying to establish a pride. And a pride needs lionesses. You must see that it's the only way." she told him.

Mohatu didn't argue anymore, he just shook his head and mumbled,

"I don't like this."

* * *

After Jolina had explained the rest of the plan and everyone understood their part, the lionesses departed, and the males went deeper into the grove, leaving Mohatu and Jolina alone. Mohatu wasn't talking, he just kept staring into the distance.

"Mohatu are you angry with me?" Jolina asked.

Mohatu sighed, then said,

"No angel, it's impossible for me to be angry with you, no matter how hard I try. I-I just have a bad feeling that something is going to happen to you."

Jolina nuzzled him,

"I know, but you're just going to have to trust me."

Mohatu looked at her and said,

"I do."

The two lions continued nuzzling and began the long, anxious wait for the plan to begin...

* * *

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed, please review. I don't own the Lion King! _


	18. Chapter 18: The Plan in Motion

_A/N: Ok so first thanks for all the nice reviews! And in chapter 17 when Izogie makes the joke about Eme being a flirt, he was teasing her because she is so shy. She's not really a flirt and that's why Kanya stepped in and told Izogie to "can it". Sorry for not making that clear in the last chapter. I don't usually like telling readers how to interpret what they read, but if you thought that Eme really was a flirt, it would be an inconsistency and so would stump her characterization. Sorry about that! BTW isn't Jolina awesome for thinking up that plan! :) I have to say I really love her! _

* * *

Chapter 18: The Plan in Motion

Kanya took a deep breath as she watched Zuria and Ilanga head to the acacia groves, dragging a large zebra carcass between them. She glanced up at the late afternoon sun and knew that it was time. She spied her targets and began to walk up the path to the large den to them, her actions setting Jolina's plan into motion.

* * *

Ash and Ponjo were lazing about the outside of the large den when one of the lionesses, this one with ebony fur, approached them.

"What do you want?" Ash barked.

Kanya walked up to the gray lion, a sly smile plastered on her face,

"Oh, I was just wondering if, um, you'd like to take a walk with me?" she asked flirtatiously.

Ash thought about the attractive lioness's tempting offer, then he remembered that the 'boss' had given him orders to guard the outside of the den, and not even this lioness was worth risking the 'boss's wrath. So he answered,

"Sorry, I have strict orders to stay here."

But Kanya had already turned her attentions to the large lion standing beside Ash.

"Oh well," she told Ash without looking away from Ponjo.

"Maybe you'd like to come. A few of my friends caught an exceptionally large zebra and we'd be SO disappointed if you wouldn't join us."

Kanya told Ponjo, while sliding her dark tail under his chin and eyeing him seductively. Ponjo, at this point, was practically drooling, and he nodded his head quickly, and followed the lioness. But Ash quickly cut in and said,

"Perhaps it best if I join you also, after all there are many dangers around, you know."

Kanya batted her dark eyelashes and gave a sweet smile as she began to lead the two lions toward the acacia groves.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mohatu and Jolina were watching as Ilanga and Zuria left the dead zebra in the open and went to hide in the tall grass and bushes of the grove.

"I'd better get going." she told him.

Mohatu nodded and she turned to leave,

"Wait." he called. "Jolina promise me that you will be careful?"

She smiled and answered,

"Of course. As long as you promise the same thing."

He grinned and said,

"I promise."

Jolina looked at him, and he wasn't able to decipher her expression, she finally said,

"I love you Mohatu."

"I love you too, Jolina." he replied.

And with that she turned and headed through the tall grasses toward the eastern border.

Mohatu watched her leave and let out a worried sigh, as his friend, Raoul approached.

"Don't worry too much about her Mohatu, she's a smart one."

Mohatu looked at his friend and said,

"I know she is...but I can't lose her."

Raoul nodded his head, and giving Mohatu a friendly shove said,

"C'mon, we'd better get into position."

* * *

Eme watched as Kanya led Ponjo and Ash away. She waited a few moments before emerging from her spot behind a bush near the waterhole. Breathing deeply she began to approach the large rock and den she knew Sinjun and Kambili were in. Jolina had chosen Eme for this part because her young age and quiet disposition would make her less likely to arouse the suspicion of Sinjun and Kambili than her older and more out-spoke companions. Eme was standing outside the large den when the figures of two vicious lions appeared.

"What are you doing here?" Kambili demanded.

The little lioness dropped her head and began to stutter as the lion stood over her,

"I-I was o-out w-with the o-other lion-."

"Out with it you little fool!" Kambili snarled.

"Silence Kambili. Let her speak." Sinjun ordered, then he nodded for Eme to continue. Eme was quivering in fear now, but she knew she had to be brave for the others, so she said,

"I was out near the eastern border with the other lionesses, and we spotted a strange lioness wondering about. The others didn't want to tell you, but I thought you needed to know."

"Thank you young one, and you will be rewarded for your honesty." Sinjun said and then dismissed her.

"Do you think she's lying?" Kambili said after a moment.

"I do not and believe that it's worth investigating her claim." Sinjun replied.

"Those females are more treacherous than you give them credit for." Kambili growled.

"Nonsense." Sinjun said. "Now where are those two oafs, Ash and Ponjo?"

"It seems that they have abandoned their posts, probably off with one of those contemptible females." Kambili answered.

"Idiots." Sinjun muttered, then he turned to Kambili,

"I'll deal with those two later, it appears that we will have to look into this matter ourselves."

"Right away boss." Kambili replied with a curt nod.

And the two hideous lions headed out to the eastern border.

* * *

Eme waited until the two lions had disappeared in the tall grass before she headed to the acacia groves, relieved that they had taken the bait. Little did she know that she was being watched. The young, reddish-brown lion, Kelsh, had seen Ilanga and Zuria head toward the grove, and then Kanya follow suit with Ash and Ponjo trailing behind her. He hadn't thought much of it at the moment, but after hearing the exchange between 'the boss', Kambili, and Eme, he was a bit suspicious. And when he saw Eme, too head to the acacia grove, he couldn't help but wonder if the lionesses were plotting something. But he thought the best thing to do was wait and watch.

* * *

Jolina was mentally preparing herself for what she was about to face, when two lions appeared through the tall grass. The larger of the two growled, but the scrawny one cut him off and hissed,

"I'll handle this."

Then he approached Jolina and said,

"Who are you and why are you trespassing on my lands?"

Jolina took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, then in the most innocent and meek voice she could muster said,

"My name is Jolina. I have fled my home which was destroyed by fire. I was told a pride of lions lived here, and I was hoping that I would be allowed to join."

Sinjun pretended to ponder her request for a moment before replying,

"Well Jolina, we don't usually allow strangers into our pride so quickly, but I believe that in your case we can make an exception." he lied, then continued,

"You may call me 'boss', and this is my lieutenant Kambili."

Jolina turned her gaze to Kambili and flashed him an innocent grin. For the first time in his life, and to his utter shock, Kambili felt an odd thumping in his chest. He realized it was his heart. But Sinjun interrupted his thoughts,

"Come Jolina, we need to introduce you to the pride and show you your new home."

Jolina knew she needed to stall them for a bit longer so she said quickly,

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, you see I sprained my ankle hunting the other day. I'm afraid I will slow you down quite a bit."

"Quite alright my dear." Sinjun told her. And Kambili offered his shoulder for her to lean on, which she did.

"Oh thank you, you're much too kind." she told him.

And so, they proceeded slowly back, Jolina faking a terrible limp. She inwardly sighed in relief, knowing she'd bought her friends some much needed time.

* * *

Kanya had reached the acacia grove and soon she could see where Zuria and Ilanga had left the zebra carcass. She looked back at the two males who had also seen the carcass. Kanya then said,

"Oh, my friends should be back in a moment, but please, help yourselves."

And with that the two lions began to gorge themselves on the tender meat. Holding back a gag, Kanya released a "fake" sneeze, and then moved into position.

Ash and Ponjo were busily stuffing themselves when they heard growls. Looking up, they found themselves surrounded by many lions. An orange one laughed sarcastically and said,

"Well, well, looks who's come to dinner."

Upon hearing Kanya's signal Mohatu led the attack on the two lions. Though they were stupid, Ash and Ponjo were well-trained fighters, and Ponjo's gigantic size allowed him to take on many opponents at one time. Strawberry, Kanya, and Ilanga however, were able to make short work of Ash, and he fell to the ground, dead. Try as they might, though, Mohatu, Izogie, and Raoul couldn't bring Ponjo down, and upon seeing the death of Ash, the huge lion turned and fled, with the group of snarling lions on his heels.

* * *

Kelsh looked up from his post and saw a large group of lions in obvious pursuit of Ponjo. Quickly he set off in the direction that 'the boss' and Kambili had taken, to warn them.

Meanwhile, Jolina walked, or rather limped, in silence with the two lions. Soon though, a small reddish lion appeared, apparent apprehension on his face.

"Kelsh, what are you doing here?" Sinjun barked.

"Sorry boss, but there's a whole group of lions, along with our lionesses chasing Ponjo, and they're headed this way!" Kelsh replied.

"WHAT!" Sinjun screamed.

"What direction are they coming from?" Kambili asked.

Kelsh gestured toward the correct direction, and almost as soon as he did, Ponjo came tearing over to them.

"Ponjo you fool, what's happening?" Sinjun snapped.

But before the huge lion could respond a snarl was heard. And Sinjun found a line of nine growling lions facing him.

* * *

"Your cruel reign over this land is over!" Mohatu snarled at the scrawny lion. But it was Kambili who answered,

"We should've killed you fools while we had the chance." he said to the group of males, then he turned his gaze to the lionesses,

"I always knew you would attempt such treachery, now you will pay with your lives!"

In the heated exchange of threats and snarls, Jolina had managed to sneak around to her friends, and when she heard Kambili accuse and threaten her companions, she was filled with a rage she had never known before. Her cool and commanding voice silenced the growls and snarls as she spoke,

"Oh I'm afraid your accusing the wrong lions." she said appearing through the ranks to the front.

"For, you see, I'm the one responsible."

Sinjun and Kambili stared at her in shock, and then narrowed their eyes at her. Sinjun spoke, his voice barely above a sinister whisper,

"Well then, dear one, when all your friends have been ripped to shreds, you indeed, shall be responsible."

Jolina crouched into a fighting stance and as she leaped into action, she shouted,

"ATTACK!"

Upon hearing her cry, Mohatu and the others too, sprang into the fry.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah GO JOLINA! Hope you liked the chapter, chapter 19 coming soon! *Nantsingonyama*_


	19. Chapter 19: The Battle

_A/N: Okay, so I was making some corrections to the first chapter in this story, and instead of replacing the chapter, I completely deleted it, because I am dumb, and had no idea what the heck I am doing. So when I went back to try and correct the mess of my story that I had just made, I accidentally deleted two chapters, leaving the rest of the chapters out of wack. So here is the missing chapter 19, and I'm so glad that I've gotten things fixed. Sorry about any inconveniences or confusion. _

Chapter 19: The Battle

The battle was fierce. Even though Jolina and the others outnumbered Sinjun, Kambili, Ponjo, and Kelsh, it took all of their collective amount of strength to take on the well-trained and blood-thirsty rogues.

Jolina had teamed up with Strawberry, Ejira, and Zuria to fight the gigantic lion, Ponjo. Strawberry, despite his reserved and gentle nature had proven to be a fierce fighter. He, Kanya, and had forced Ponjo to back toward the waiting forms of Jolina and Zuria. Both lioness through their poised bodies into a pounce, but to their surprise, Ponjo pivoted, and using one of his huge forelegs sent them both flying into the air in different directions.

Jolina landed with a hard thump. She opened her eyes slowly, her head pounding, her breathing heavy, and with the bitter taste of blood in her mouth. As her swimming vision began to come into focus, she saw Eme and Illanga doing their best to subdue the reddish lion Kelsh, who despite his small stature was an excellent fighter. She then turned to see Mohatu and Raoul fiercely battling Kambili. The muscular lion was an excellent warrior, and he knew how to use Mohatu and Raoul's larger sizes against them. She saw Raoul charge at him, but he cleverly side-stepped the attack causing Raoul to slam full force into Mohatu, who was sent tumbling to the ground. Kambili stood over the stunned blue-eyed lion, and raised his paw to deliver the killing blow.

"NOOO!" Jolina screamed as she leapt to her feet, but she was much too far to reach Mohatu in time.

Just then, a flash of orange came barreling into Kambili, knocking him clean off his feet.

"Sorry dude, I'm the only one allowed to beat up on my pal like that!" Izogie yelled to the glaring Kambili.

Jolina sighed with relief as she saw Izogie helping Mohatu to stand, and Raoul distract Kambili, who had quickly recovered. She was about to rejoin the battle when she saw a flash of gray in the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a scrawny, black-maned lion slinking his way away from the fighting.

"Sinjun". She thought, and with a growl she ran after him, and tackled him behind a bush.

Illanga was with Eme, trying to help bring the small, but fierce, lion Kelsh down.

"Mind if I join?' she heard someone ask.

She turned her head to see Zuria, then quickly jumped out of the way as Kelsh swiped at her shoulder.

"I think we could use all the help we can get." Ilanga quipped.

Then to the dark gold lioness's horror, she saw little Eme crash to the ground, right at Kelsh's feet. Eme turned her hazel eyes up to the lion in fear. But much to Ilanga and Zuria's surprise, the turned away from Eme, and made a leap at Zuria, who promptly gave him a slash across his chest.

Strawberry watched in anger as Zuria and Jolina were swept away by Ponjo's huge paws. Apparently Kanya felt just as angry because she gave a fierce snarl and, dived toward the huge lion, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. Ponjo gave a groan of pain, and then to Strawberry's horror, he grabbed Kanya by the scruff of her neck, and slammed her into a nearby tree. She released her hold of him, as a sharp whimper of pain left her, and her body went limp.

"NO!" roared Strawberry.

Raoul and Mohatu were still struggling against Kambili, even with Izogie's help. Every time one of them seemed to be gaining the upper hand, Kambili would parry their attack or simply dodge it. As Kambili faced Raoul and Mohatu who were taking turns slashing at the evil lion, Izogie made a daring leap from behind. He was just about to leap on top of the lean lion when Kambili ducked. Mohatu watched in shock as Izogie went flying over Kambili, and the orange lion's head slammed into Raoul's. The two went tumbling to the ground. Mohatu looked over at them, they were alive, but both out cold.

"Looks like it's just the two of us now." Mohatu heard the evil lion snarl.

He turned back, just in time to see Kambili charging towards him.

Strawberry lunged violently at the huge lion, and the surprised Ponjo was knocked off his feet. Strawberry and Ejira took advantage of the giant's stumble, and set upon him, biting and slashing. But Ponjo was not through yet; with an angry roar, he brought his front paw down hard on the old lion's back, and sent him skidding across the ground. Then he went for Strawberry. But the blonde lion saw it coming, and in one swift motion he clamped his jaw around one of Ponjo's front legs, his teeth breaking the thick bones as if they were thin twigs. As ponjo roared in pain and tried in desperation to shake the lion off, Strawberry began thrashing about, digging his claws into Ponjo's exposed chest. But the large lion finally managed to shake the lion off, and using his uninjured leg onto Strawberry's chest, intending to use his weight to crush the smaller lion. Strawberry's vision began to swim, as he felt Ponjo's weight force his ribs against his lungs, suffocating him. Then Strawberry saw a flash of dark fur and heard a startled grunt, as the weight was lifted off his chest. As he greedily drank in air, she heard a feminine voice say,

"Don't you think it's time we finished that date?"

Strawberry saw that it was Kanya, and she had managed to pin the huge lion, who had finally grown weak from blood loss. Her gazed turned from the large lion she had just mocked to Strawberry.

"Whadda ya' say pretty boy, think I should finish him off?" She asked her blue eyes dancing.

Strawberry could only stare at her, she laughed and replied,

"I'll take that as a yes."

Mohatu saw the lean lion coming for him, and somehow he managed to dodge, while also inflicting a deep cut along Kambili's back. In a roar of pain, Kambili came at him once more. With Raoul and Izogie out, Kambili had become more aggressive, and as he charged once more at Mohatu, the brown-maned lion used one of Kambili's own tricks against him. He ducked. As Kambili went over his opponents head, Mohatu reached up, and caught him in the side, slammed him to the ground, and pinned him. The force behind Mohatu's blow was enough to render Kambili unconscious.

"Yeah buddy, that's the way to do it!" Izogie, who along with Raoul had recovered, said.

Mohatu looked around to see all the others smiling at him. Ponjo lay dead and Strawberry and Kanya were supporting Ejira, who thankfully had suffered no more than a sore back. He also saw that the small lion Kelsh, had been subdued by Zuria and Ilanga, who were both, quite literally, sitting on him. As he surveyed his companions, he noticed that someone was missing, and Raoul's next words confirmed his worse fears.

"Mohatu, I'm so sorry, it-it's Jolina."

_A/N: Next chapter will be up soon. Sorry about the inconvenience. _


	20. Chapter 20: Founding the Pridelands

_A/N: Hello, I apologize once again for deleting this chapter, and hope that I didn't cause anyone to stop reading this story. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 20: Founding of the Pridelands

Raoul quickly led Mohatu and the others to where Jolina was laying. Mohatu rounded a large bush, and there, in bloodied and crumpled heap lay the form of his beloved angel.

"Joli." was all he managed to choke out as he lowered his face to hers.

To his relief, she was still breathing, and the blood that had stained her fur was not her own, though she did have a nasty gash on her forehead. It was obvious that she had somehow hit her head on the nearby rock.

"H-How could this happen?" Mohatu finally said, though more to himself than the others.

"Wait, did anyone notice that Sinjun wasn't at the fight?" Raoul said.

"I bet she saw the coward trying to sneak away and went after him!" Izogie added.

"And then he did this to her." Zuria stated sadly.

As they were speaking though, Jolina began to stir, and noticing her movement, everyone looked at her, all holding their breath. She slowly opened her eyes against a pounding headache and her blurry vision finally focused on Mohatu. She smiled up at him and said in a weak, shaky voice,

"Did we win?"

Mohatu could no longer restrain the tears of joy that streamed down his cheeks, as he gently lifted her to him.

"Yes angel, all because of you, we did."

* * *

After Jolina had, with many friends to help her, managed to stand up, the lions headed back to the area where most of the fighting had taken place only moments ago.

"Uh-oh, looks like the 'Lieutenant' flew the coop right behind the general." Izogie said.

Kambili had, in fact, woken up as Mohatu and the others had hurried off to Jolina.

"Should we go after them?" Strawberry asked.

Mohatu shook his head and answered,

"No, there has been enough bloodshed today."

"Yeah and I have a feeling that dude won't be coming back anytime soon after the tail-whooping you gave him!" Izogie said to Mohatu.

Then Zuria spoke, she and Ilanga had kept Kelsh securely between them so that he could not escape as well/

"So what do we do with this one?"

All the lions then turned their attention to Kelsh. Raoul came over to the young lion and growled, but as he did so, Eme threw herself in front of Kelsh, and said,

"NO Raoul, please don't kill him. He's not like the others, he spared my life."

"What?" Mohatu asked as he walked up to stand beside Raoul.

Zuria and Ilanga confirmed Eme's declaration as truth, that Kelsh could have easily killed her, but that he chosen to turn away. Mohatu turned to Kelsh and said,

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Kelsh looked the much larger lion in the eye and said,

"Just because I have been forced to associate with lions to whom honor means nothing, doesn't mean that I share the ideas."

Mohatu looked at Raoul, as both were shocked at the young lions strong words, finally Mohatu spoke,

"Very well, we will spare your life because you did the same for Eme. But you must leave immediately, and never re-"

Jolina stepped forward and cut him off before he could finish,

"Wait Mohatu, I think that when he spared Eme, he proved himself to be honorable. I believe we should allow him to join us."

Zuria then spoke,

"Jolina is right, he could've easily killed her, but he didn't. And he was never cruel to us like the others were."

Raoul then spoke,

"Mohatu, his knowledge of Sinjun and Kambili may prove to be useful if they try to get revenge."

After several moments, Mohatu nodded in agreement.

"If no one has any objection, I don't see why he can't join us, if he wants to that is." and he finished as his gaze fell on Kelsh, who answered.

"I would be most grateful."

This time, after a moment, Strawberry spoke,

"Well, if there is something for him to join, then I suppose that makes us a...pride."

All the lions froze, the impact on Strawberry's words sinking in. Then Izogie yelled happily,

"Say, if we're a pride, and we just kicked the former rulers sorry rear end, then that means, these are our lands!"

"This...our land?" Zuria whispered.

Then, as if a spirit of jubilation had possessed the lions, they all began to shout, laugh, and cheer with joy at the beautiful land that was now their own. Izogie went so far as to begin rolling about in the grass, causing the others to laugh, but they all none-the-less, joined him.

* * *

Later that evening, after they had explored around the huge stone mountain, the lions gathered outside the huge den, on the smooth surface of the hard rock. As the lions happily chatted amonst each other, Ejira cleared his throat to gain the attention of his companions before he made a very valid point.

"I know you're all excited about this new kingdom we seem to have acquired for ourselves, but as you all know, every good kingdom needs a good king."

At that moment, all of the lions turned their Ejira to Mohatu. When he saw that all of their looks were on him, he replied in a nervous voice,

"What?"

Raoul then stepped forward,

"My vote goes for Mohatu."

"As does mine." Zuria replied.

And one by one all the lions nodded their agreement.

"Hey, g-guys, I mean, c'mon, why me?" Mohatu stammered.

"Well, you are the prince." Ilanga stated.

"Yeah, b-but that was before-" he started.

"We want you to." Eme said.

Mohatu looked at her and the others, who were looking at him expectantly, and said,

"I-I don't think I can do it."

Then a gentle voice replied,

"Mohatu you can. I know you can."

It was Jolina. Mohatu's eyes met hers, and he saw the sincerity in her eyes. As he gazed into her sweet face, he knew that he could do anything, as long as she believed in him.

"Alright, I'll do it." he said.

At that moment, all the lions around him smiled and bowed their heads in respect for their new king. Mohatu then spoke,

"But if we're going to establish a kingdom, it needs a name. And I think Jolina should be the one to name it."

Everyone smiled and nodded. Jolina was indeed the one to choose the name of the new kingdom, for it had been her courage and bravery that had won it for them. Jolina however, was quite shocked at the suggestion and could only stand in silence. Then a memory flashed to her mind of stories that had captivated her as a cub, legends of a land of peace and happiness, a kingdom where brave and wise rulers protected and loved it.

"The Pridelands." she said. "Let's call it the Pridelands."

After a moment, Zuria spoke up,

"That's a lovely name."

"I like it!" Izogie laughed.

"It's perfect." Mohatu said.

After each lion had agreed that it was a beautiful and fitting name, Ejira spoke up,

"A beautiful name indeed, bit I believe that it is time for the new king to take his place." he said gesturing to the promontory. Mohatu walked over to the base of the majestic ledge that reached up to the sky. He looked back at Ejira and his friends who were smiling encouragingly at him. Then he looked at Jolina. She too, was smiling, and when their eyes met, she gave him a small nod, telling him that she believed in him. Mohatu breathed deeply as he ascended the stone ledge. He remembered how his home, family, and nearly his life had been snatched away from him. Now, he had been given a second chance, through Jolina's love, to reclaim his birthright. He'd reached the top, and looked down at the breathtaking view as the sun bathed the land in the golden glow of sunset. He made a promise to himself, that he would rule this land with wisdom and justice to the best of the ability, for he, his friends, and his beloved angel had fought for, and won this land. Taking another deep breath, he gave a thunderous roar that echoed across the land, claiming his place as the first King of the Pridelands.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!_

_Didn't have time to proof read thoroughly, please let me know of mistakes! _


	21. Chapter 21: The Wedding

_A/N: Hello dear readers, once again I'd like to thank you all for the lovely reviews. I already have the rest of the story planned out, I even know the last sentence! But now it's a matter of writing it all down, and filling in the details and how some of the events will happen. Usually I just let the story and characters play themselves out, the only real thought I give it are the actual events. Then of course, typing it, (btw I went back and read some of my earlier chapters and the little typos in there are hilarious but annoying, what was I thinking?), and posting it on the site, which doesn't take too long. Anyways, this is a chapter about Jolina's wedding day. We have followed her through much, and now she is to be Queen of the Pridelands. There is no action and the such in this chapter, but I thought you would all appreciate an intimate account of Jolina's special day. Also this is a look into the life of the new pride and we meet some new and old faces! So enough of my babbling and on with the story!_

* * *

Chapter 21: The Wedding

A month had passed since Jolina and her friends had defeated Sinjun's gang. Many of the land's creatures had been happy and excited to be released from the cruel reign of the rogues. All of the creatures had a great respect for King Mohatu, who always did his best to solve conflicts between the animals so that there was little reason for bad blood between the different clans. A group of six rogue lionesses had turned up two weeks after the foundation of the Pridelands, and in accordance to the new laws, had been allowed membership into the pride. The lionesses, who ranged in color from dark tan to light cream, had adjusted nicely into the pride, most of them being quite friendly, and they all possessed a great respect for Jolina, the soon-to-be queen. Two of these lionesses were with cub and had been thrilled to learn that they would give birth to the first cubs to be born in the Pridelands. Jolina had been named lead huntress, for her unique strategies, and exceptional tactics impressed even the older and more experienced lionesses. Due to her leadership, and the effective teamwork of the hunting party, they never came home empty-handed and the pride was well fed.

* * *

Jolina had assumed her habit of rising at dawn, hours before anyone else woke, and this morning was no exception. She couldn't get over the beauty of her new home, it captivated her just as the stories her mother had told as a cub did. And this land was everything she had imagined the kingdom in the stories to be and more. Every morning she stood on the promontory of Pride Rock, which it had been suitably named, and watched as the sun rose over the horizon, its rays of light seeming to reach out and touch all the corners of the kingdom. Oh how she wished her mother were here, especially on this day. For today, Jolina and Mohatu were to be wed, and Jolina crowned the Queen of the Pridelands. She could see many of the animals already grazing their way toward Pride Rock for the ceremony that afternoon. She admitted to herself that she was nervous, for being Queen was no easy task, but something inside her whispered that this was her path, that maybe, this was who she was meant to be. Jolina took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and continued to gaze at the sun rise over the beautiful land.

A stranger, or should we say an old friend, had turned up in the Pridelands around the same time that the new lionesses joined. Mohatu and Jolina had been shocked and thrilled to see their old friend, who had turned out to be Rafiki. The only explanation he would give as to how he's escaped the oasis was and found them was,

"Life works in mysterious ways, don't you dink?"

Jolina often paid him early visits, something she had also done while living with him in the oasis. He had happily settled into a large acacia tree, even bigger than the one in the oasis, that was located near the western border. When Jolina got to the tree, she saw that Rafiki was meditating, but sensing her approach he opened his eyes and smiled,

"Ahh Jolina, how are you on dis special day?"

"Good morning Rafiki, I'm well, if not a bit nervous. How are you?" she replied.

Rafiki continued to smile at her and said,

"I am well, but why are you nervous?"

Jolina gave a little sigh and answered,

"It's just that... Mohatu is such a wonderful king, and I want to be a good mate to him, and a good queen to this land, but...I'm afraid I'm not suitable to be a queen."

Rafiki pondered for a moment, and then answered her,

"I dink dat you will be an excellent queen, and I also believe dat if you searched your heart", he placed a finger on her chest, "you will find dat you were born to do dis."

Jolina cocked her head and was about to ask him to explain what he meant, when the mandrill began shooing her away.

"You have much preparation to do for de ceremony."

Jolina smiled,

"Alright Rafiki, see you at the ceremony."

* * *

And she turned and began to walk back to Pride Rock.

When Jolina approached Pride Rock, she was met by a frantic group of lionesses.

"Where have you been, Jolina?!" Ilanga exclaimed.

"We have so much work to do and so little time!" another excited lioness shouted.

And with that she was whisked away by the excited group before Mohatu could see her, because as was tradition, the bride and groom were not to see one another before the ceremony. The lionesses took Jolina to a secluded waterhole, where they unceremoniously dunked her into the water, and began bathing her with scented oils that they had acquired from Rafiki. Zuria, Kanya, and Eme all watched in amusement as Jolina was poked, prodded, and scrubbed. She was much too polite though to ask them to stop, and so endured the torture. The lionesses who had spent so long just struggling to survive were thoroughly enjoying this moment of "girl time", and were happily chatting and gossiping when a particular orange lion approached.

"Hey ladies, mind if I join in the fun?" Izogie asked.

Some of the lionesses giggled and batted their eyelashes at him.

"Izogie, what are you doing here?" Kanya snapped.

"Oh, nothing, just come to see how her majesty's bath was coming." he replied with a grin.

This earned him a nasty glare from Jolina, but then his attention was caught by the scented oils, and a mischievous look played across his face, and he said,

"Say are we getting her ready for the wedding or the _honeymoon_?"

Jolina's jaw dropped and her cheeks burned a deep red. Some of the lionesses were shocked too, but a few handful of the younger ones, continued giggling.

"Izogie!" Zuria gasped.

Then Kanya spoke up,

"Don't mind him Jolina, he's just jealous because he wanted you for himself."

Izogie laughed and replied,

"Oh yeah, kinda like you want Strawberry all to yourself! Do you like em' blonde Kanya?!"

This time it was Kanya who wore a mortified look, then she angrily pointed her paw and snarled,

"OUT!"

Jolina was relieved to see a couple of the older lionesses begin to shoo him away.

"Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going." he replied.

Then he turned his face to Jolina, for once he was serious and said,

"But seriously Jolina, you're going to be an awesome queen." but the serious expression melted as he added,

"Speaking of which, when should we expect a little Mohatu Jr.?"

There was a collective growl from all the lionesses and Izogie trotted off, laughing.

* * *

After her "bath", Jolina and the other lionesses were laying out on some rocks in the warm sun, Jolina allowing her now squeaky-clean fur to dry. It was noon and the ceremony was to be in two hours. As Jolina half-listened to the contented lionesses chattering away, some animals approached them. There were six of them, and they were the leaders of six of the animals clans in the kingdom. A leopard stepped forward, and bowing said,

"We have come to present these ceremonial flowers to her majesty, in hopes that she will honor us by wearing them in her wedding."

As the leopard spoke, each of the animals presented a long chain of beautiful flowers, each clan's the color that represented them. The leopard's chain was of red flowers ,symbolizing justice. The wildebeest presented an orange chain, for peace. The cheetah clan gave her a yellow one, which stood for happiness. The giraffe's was a green chain that stood for life. The elephants, a blue chain, for wisdom. And from the zebra clan, a beautiful chain of rich purple flowers that symbolized royalty and honor.

"Oh, thank you all. They are lovely, and I shall be honored to wear them." Jolina said to them.

The clan leaders bowed their heads in respect and left. The lionesses went absolutely giddy over the beautiful flowers, and once again Jolina was pulled into their happy frenzy, as they finished the last minute preparations.

* * *

Mohatu stood at the top of Pride Rock with Rafiki, waiting. All the gathered animals grew quiet as Zuria and Kanya came forward, and then parted, revealing Jolina. She was radiant, her fur shone, and her amber eyes sparkled. The animals cheered as Ejira joined her and he ascended half-way up Pride Rock with her, then she continued on, and came to stand next to Mohatu. When Rafiki held up his hand, the cheering stopped. Rafiki then began chanting and reciting the wedding vows.

"I do." Mohatu said, looking into Jolina's eyes.

"I do." Jolina answered.

Then Rafiki presented two long necklaces. On one, was an assortment of leopard, cheetah, and lion claws, along with a crocodile tooth, and an eagle's feather. The second necklace was made of white shells, multicolored stones, and bright pink flowers. Mohatu took the chain with the flowers and shells, and placed them gingerly over Jolina's head where they hung around her neck. Jolina repeated the same thing with the other necklace, and placed it over Mohatu's head. Then Kanya and Zuria came forward again, this time carrying a crown, woven of beautiful, pure white roses. The chains of flowers that the clan leaders had given to Jolina by the clan leaders had been attached in six separate strands to the back of the crown. Rafiki took the crown and placed it gently on Jolina's head, so that the rainbow of flowers cascaded down her back, and flowed past the length of her body. Rafiki turned to the animals of the kingdom and proclaimed,

"I now present King Mohatu and his mate, Queen Jolina, de first queen of de Pridelands!"

And with that, all the animals went wild with cheers, cries, and the pounding of feet and hooves on the ground. Mohatu and Jolina nuzzled, then stepped closer to the tip of Pride Rock, and together gave a loud roar, to which the members of the pride joined, and the animals cheered all the more at the sight of the new King and Queen.

* * *

_A/N: I hoped you enjoyed and didn't think it was cheesy. I also hope that you understood the visuals with the necklaces and Jolina's crown with the flowered chains attached. If you did not, let me know and maybe I can explain it to you better, and next time will hopefully give you a better visual. Anyways, I truly hope you enjoyed sharing this special day with Jolina, and I hope you review. Btw if you noticed the coloration of the new lionesses, that's how "Pridelanders" of the future generation got their looks. The next chapter is coming soon! Till' then *Nantsingonyama* _


	22. Chapter 22: Surprises

_A/N: Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on the last chapter. Many of you expressed a wish that you could have been there, and I want you to know that you were the special invitation VIPs with front row seating! LOL! Before you read this chapter, I would strongly advise you to re-read chapters two and three, and take note of characters and events that happen in them, for they are essential for you to make the necessary connections that will occur in this chapter. This is going to be a very long chapter, probably longer than any so far. And so I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 22: Surprises

_(Almost two years later)_

Jolina sighed, happy to be home again. She, Kanya, and Zuria had just arrived from a neighboring kingdom on a diplomatic errand to settle a dispute about a river that fed into one of the best waterholes, that was on the southern border of the Pridelands. She had been able to reach a solution that benefited both prides. This was the kind of work that Mohatu and Jolina had been doing for almost two years. While Mohatu worked in the kingdom with the concerns and problems of its inhabitants, it was Jolina who handled most disputes and treaties with the neighboring kingdoms. Though both Mohatu and Jolina entertained and talked with visiting royalty and other dignitaries. Jolina was approaching her sixth year, and was now a fully-mature lioness. She had, as was expected, become a wonderful queen. All of the creatures of the land loved and respected her, for she and Mohatu ensured that they were all treated equally and fairly. The neighboring kingdoms also held a great respect for the Pridelands, and its wise king and compassionate queen.

Jolina was now near Pride Rock, and she gave Mohatu a warm smile as he came quickly down to meet her. He welcomed the lionesses home, and Kanya and Zuria left to go and find their own mates and families. Mohatu nuzzled Jolina affectionately and asked,

"How'd it go?"

"Oh, fairly well. I finally was able to get them to see reason, that the northern half remaining in our territory, and the southern in theirs, would be beneficial to both our prides." she answered.

"Well, I glad that you were able to talk some sense into them. And I'm even more glad that your home." he said.

Though they'd been married for nearly two years, Jolina and Mohatu were still very much in love. But they had also grown to be best friends as well. The trials of running a kingdom, especially a young one, had put their relationship and their ability to make decisions, to the test. But they'd always pulled through with shining colors, and were closer than ever. But there was something missing...a cub. Try as they might, Jolina and Mohatu had yet to produce an heir, a fact that broke Jolina's heart. She's almost given up hope of ever being a mother and having a little cub to call her own.

* * *

_(Flashback-almost one year before) _

_Mohatu woke up in the middle of the night to find that Jolina was not beside him on the raised platform in the den. Quietly rising, and walking out of the den, he followed her scent to an open area in the savanna. He saw that she was looking up at the sky, and he watched as several large, silver teardrops slid down her face. He approached her and she didn't flinch when he wrapped her in his embrace. _

"_What's wrong, angel?" he asked softly._

"_Oh, Mohatu" she said, more tears spilling from her sad amber eyes,_

"_I-I want so much to have a cub. Why can't I?" she asked crying into his mane._

"_I know you do Joli." he whispered._

_He knew how much she wanted a child, and it had been hard for her to watch all her friends be blessed with little ones. In fact, Kanya had just given birth to a little female, who she and her mate, Strawberry had named Shasha. Mohatu remembered the slow courtship of Strawberry and Kanya, but the gentle lion eventually confessed his feelings to the fiery lioness, and to his surprise, she returned his affections. Raoul and Zuria, who every one knew would end up together eventually, had a young son named Ejir in honor of Ejira, that was almost six months old. Little Eme, had fallen for Kelsh, and they'd married and now had a three month old son, Eno. Even Izogie, who had had many romances with several of the new lionesses, had (at the persuasion of Mohatu and Raoul) settled down with Ilanga, who'd had a crush on him for quite some time. Izogie had been thrilled to know that she was interested in him, for she was the only lioness who always laughed at his jokes, and had the patience to put up with his antics. Ilanga was now nearing her third month of pregnancy, and Izogie, who insisted that the cub was a girl, had already named her Chanti. A few of the other lionesses, too had married and produced cubs with a few rogues that had joined the pride. Now, Mohatu and Jolina were the only couple from the group of lions that had founded the kingdom, to have not been blessed with a cub. _

"_It's so hard, Mohatu, I try not to be jealous, but why me? Why am I the one not able to bear a child?" she was almost hysterical now. Mohatu too wanted a cub, but his wife's pain was breaking his heart. Then she pulled away and looked at him,_

"_Mohatu, I know you want a son or daughter of your own, and that our kingdom needs an heir..." she trailed off. _

"_What are you getting at Joli?" he asked suspiciously, but not harshly. _

_She answered,_

"_Mohatu if you want to..." she paused, and more tears welled up in her eyes, but she continued,_

"_If you want to find another lioness to bear you a cub, I want you to know that I understand." she finished with her eyes on the ground. Mohatu stood shocked by her words, then he said,_

"_Jolina, how can you even think that I would want that?!" he stopped when he saw that she was visibly shaking from half-contained sobs. He drew her against him and whispered in her ear,_

"_Never Joli, you're the only one for me. I would never even consider that, even for the sake of having an heir." _

_She continued to cry, and then he said,_

"_It's alright Joli, who's to say that we won't have a cub? We're still young, we have plenty of time, and even if we don't, we can always adopt or pass the throne to one of the others cub. Raoul and Zuria's son is growing strong and smart, and with parents like Raoul and Zuria, he'd make a fine king." _

_But Jolina still didn't answer, she simply pulled away again, and sank down in the grass. Mohatu laid down beside her, and saw her eyes were on the stars. Then he thought of something,_

"_Hey, do you remember the night on the day we first met and we went stargazing?" _

_She nodded her head, but didn't look at him, so he continued,_

"_Remember how you told me that you knew the Great Kings of the Past guided us, and when I told you that I wasn't so sure, you said that time would reveal the answers? Well, Joli, they did. I mean look at me! I should have died out there in the wasteland, but you came along and saved me. You took me back even after I broke your heart and abandoned you. You single-handedly devised a plan, that I would've never been able to come up with, and you risked your life in a vicious battle to save_ _MY friends. And when all else failed, you convinced me to become king. So Joli, I've learned that wherever you are, anything and everything is possible, and that there is always hope."_

_Jolina turned to him, and this time she smiled. The two then snuggled into one another and fell asleep in the open savanna, under the blanket of stars. _

_(End of Flashback)_

* * *

That evening, after she had greeted the pride and eaten, Jolina went out for a walk, watching the sunset over the green savanna. She saw many of the animals finishing their evening grazing and settling in for the night. As she walked, she felt a nauseous feeling ripple through her stomach. She'd been feeling this way for the past few weeks, especially in the morning, and thought it was probably due to stress. She decided that she would go and see Rafiki about it in the morning. She headed back to Pride Rock, and when she entered the den, she felt her heart give a little squeeze as she saw many of the lionesses nuzzling and tucking in their little ones for the night. With a sigh, she walked to the back of the den, to the place where she and Mohatu slept, and laid down. Mohatu soon joined her, and giving her a lick on the cheek, he said,

"Goodnight Joli."

"Goodnight Mohatu." she replied.

* * *

The next morning, Jolina had, as always, woken before the others. She was feeling slightly better than she had most mornings, but not much. She walked on to Rafiki's tree, not even stopping to watch the sunrise. When she arrived Rafiki was busily sorting herbs.

"Good morning Rafiki." she said.

"Ahhh, Jolina. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Well, for the past few weeks, I'm afraid that I haven't been feeling very well." she replied.

"What are your symptoms?" he asked.

"Mostly just nausea, especially in the mornings." she answered.

Rafiki rubbed his chin for a moment, then ordered her to lay down. He came over and examined each eye, ear, even the inside of her mouth, while making "hmmm" and "ummm" sounds. Then he moved his hands across her back and over her abdomen. He then asked,

"Jolina, it is true dat you wish to have a cub, yes?"

"Oh yes Rafiki, with all my heart..." then the light in her eyes dulled and she said,

"but I'm afraid that's never going to happen."

Rafiki smiled as he finished her examination,

"Well, dere are time when wishes come true." he said.

Jolina looked at him, confused. Rafiki then gave her an affectionate pat on the head, and with a wide and toothy grin said,

"Congratulations, Jolina. You are with cub."

Jolina's jaw dropped, and she stared at Rafiki wide-eyed. Then her face melted into the happy and joyful face of an expectant mother. She jumped up and embraced Rafiki,

"Oh Rafiki, thank you!"

And in her jubilation, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. For once in his life, the mandrill actually blushed. Jolina then bounded off toward Pride Rock, the landscape suddenly seeming much brighter. She wanted Mohatu to be the first to know, but knew that he would have already left for his rounds and duties. No, she would have to wait to tell him that evening. She then saw the hunting party approaching her. Knowing her condition, hunting wasn't a risk that she was willing to take. She would simply tell them that she was still exhausted from yesterday's trip, and wouldn't be accompanying them. But that left the problem of who would lead the hunt. Kanya, her second-in-command, was more than capable, but Jolina decided that Eme should be given a chance to lead that morning. After she had given the lionesses her instructions, most of them had bowed and headed off, except for Kanya and Zuria. The three lionesses had become very close over the past couple of years, there was something about Kanya's blunt and honest nature that Jolina liked and respected, and she admired Zuria's calm and kind disposition. Kanya and Zuria knew that it was _very _unlike Jolina to miss out on a hunt,

"You okay?" Kanya asked.

Jolina simply couldn't hold back her large smile as she replied,

"Perfect."

* * *

Mohatu had just finished his rounds of the kingdom. The borders were secure and the animals, after he had resolved an argument between the elephants and giraffes over grazing area, were content. It was now early afternoon, and Mohatu was heading back to Pride Rock when a cheetah approached him and said,

"Sire, I saw a strange lion entered the borders."

Mohatu thanked the cheetah and set off to investigate. He wasn't surprised that a rogue had been spotted, a few had already come, requesting to join the pride. Still he knew enough not to let his guard down.

When Mohatu came up to the area that the cheetah had pointed out to him, sure enough he saw an old male lion. Upon seeing him the old male came over and asked,

"Are you King Mohatu?"

"Yes, and who are you?" Mohatu asked.

The male bowed his head in respect and then answered,

"My name is Azir, and this" he said gesturing to a couple of purple feathered birds, "is Zazi and her daughter Zaza."

Both birds bowed, and then the one named Zaza spoke,

"I am an old friend of Queen Jolina's. We were hoping that we would be permitted to see her, your majesty."

Mohatu nodded his head and said,

"Of course, any friends of Jolina's are welcome."

Then Azir spoke,

"I only met Zazi and Zaza recently, you see my kingdom was destroyed many years ago by a gang of cruel rogues. To keep our daughter safe, my mate, Aza, took her and ran. I have been looking for them ever since. When I heard about a couple of lionesses that were living in a jungle near the area I was in at the moment, I thought it worth investigating. When I arrived I met Zazi, who confirmed that it was indeed my family. But I found that my wife had been murdered by an old enemy, and that my daughter had fled."

Mohatu had listened intently, and thought the name Aza was vaguely familiar, but Azir continued.

"We managed to track her and found out that she now lives with your pride."

Mohatu thought that his daughter must be one of the new lionesses, and he asked,

"What is your daughter's name?"

Azir took a deep breath and answered,

"Jolina."

* * *

_A/N: Well, it wasn't as long as I thought. Was this expected or unexpected. Thanks for reading, please leave a review! _


	23. Chapter 23: Azir's Story

_A/N: Hey guys thanks for the reviews! They were fantastic. So we are starting to come full circle and I hope your ready for the ride! Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 23: Azir's Story

Jolina was sitting at the tip of Pride Rock, her front paws dangling carelessly over the edge when she saw Mohatu approaching with a strange lion and two birds. When they got closer, Jolina was shocked to see who the two birds were. She quickly descended Pride Rock and ran down toward them.

"Zazi?" she asked.

"Oh Jolina, look at you, you're all grown up!" the bird squawked, and the two friends embraced. Then Jolina broke away and looked at the younger bird,

"Is this Zaza, that little chick that used to wake the whole jungle, tweeting in the middle of the night?"

The young bird came forward,

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Queen Jolina."

Jolina returned the greeting, and then added,

"Oh, and please call me Jolina, we're all friends here."

Then Mohatu spoke up and said,

"Jolina, this is Azir, he's...er...an old friend of your mothers."

Jolina looked at the male lion, and noticed that he was staring at her rather, oddly. He had a strong build, a dirty blonde mane, light beige fur much like hers, and she looked into amber eyes that reflected her own.

"Hello, I'm Jolina, it's nice to meet you." she said.

Mohatu and Azir exchanged glances, and Jolina asked,

"How did you know my mother."

Azir sighed, but realized the moment of truth was upon him,

"Jolina, you may not be able to believe this, but your mother...she was my mate."

Jolina gasped and then said,

"B-but if she was your mate, then I'm..."

"Yes, Jolina you are my daughter, though I have not seen you since the morning you were born." he told her.

She couldn't deny her striking resemblance to this lion, and the fact that her mother had always told her that she looked like her father, and the sincerity evident in his manner, told Jolina that he was speaking the truth.

"How are you here, my mother told me that you were dead."

Azir gave another sigh,

"it is a very long story, but I will tell you."

* * *

"I had just been crowned the king of my land. We were a small, but happy pride, and all was well, until a strange lioness showed up in our kingdom. We learned that her name was Aza, and that she was a princess from a nearby kingdom. She had come seeking help, for her kingdom was in danger.

_(Flashback)_

"_Please King Azir, you are my only hope." _

_The light gray lioness begged, tears coming from her eyes. Azir was a kind and compassionate king, and he couldn't say no to this beautiful princess who was imploring him to help her. _

"_Very well, Princess Aza, I will do my best to help you._

_(End of Flashback)_

"Her father had been overthrown and murdered by a gang of rogues lead by a lion named Rondo and his brother. They had several vicious military lions that forced the pride into submission. Rondo's brother had declared himself king and had proclaimed that Aza would be his mate. But before she was forced to marry him, she fled, and that's when we found her, and she asked for my help." Azir paused and then continued, "It took some time to formulate a plan, but Aza was the one who created a clever trick that would give us the advantage."

_(Flashback)_

"_These rogues are very greedy, the more lionesses they have, the bigger and stronger their pride will be. So if you are all willing, I suggest we send several lionesses into the pride, asking if they can join. That way, when we attack, we will have the element of surprise.", _

_Princess Aza explained to King Azir and his pride. One of the lionesses stepped forward and spoke,_

"_This plan is just crazy enough to work. I'll go." _

_After that several more lionesses came forward and volunteered._

_(End of Flashback)_

"After sending the lionesses in, we waited. Then about three days later, we attacked. Aza's plan worked perfectly, the rogues were completely taken by surprise and when the lions of Aza's pride joined in, it didn't take long to defeat them. Some of them escaped, but many lay dead, including Rondo's brother. After that, Aza became the queen of her pride, but I already knew that I loved her, and when I asked her to marry me, she said yes. So we joined our kingdoms together, and they prospered. Then only a few months before you were born, Rondo and his gang showed back up. Rondo had sworn that he would destroy me and my descendants for killing his brother and stealing the princess from him. They did everything they could to terrorize our kingdom, slaughtering animals by the dozens, setting a forest on fire, even killing a group of young cubs. Panic and fear was beginning to drive our kingdom apart, then on the day you were born, Rondo launched his attack. I had greatly underestimated his numbers, and the sheer force of his invasion was too much for my pride to defeat. It seemed that you, along with countless others were going to be killed. But Aza took you and managed to escape before Rondo could find you. I promised her that when it was over, that I would find her. A few of the lionesses were captured, and I never knew what became of them. Then when those of us who hadn't been killed, managed to escape, some of them joined other prides, but I began looking for you and your mother, and have been doing so for six years since." Azir bowed his head in sadness as he finished his story.

"Oh that, that's terrible. Poor mom." Jolina said more to herself than to the others. Then Mohatu spoke,

"But how did you find Jolina?"

Azir answered,

"Well, when I entered the jungle, as you know, I met Zazi and Zaza, and they told me that your mother had been attacked, and I knew by the description that it had been Rondo. Jolina, if Rondo had of figured out that you were alive, he would have come searching for you to kill you. Your mother, she fought and killed him to protect you, even though she had to giver her own life to do so." Azir said softly.

Jolina's eyes began to tear up,

"You mean, she sacrificed herself...for me?"

Azir nodded his head,

"She loved you before you were even born. She would be so proud of you."

At that, Jolina's tears fell down her cheeks, but she wiped them away, and to the old lion's surprise, she walked up to him and gave him a small nuzzle.

"It's nice to meet you...dad."

Azir smiled, and the emotion of finding the child he'd searched for, for so long, overcame him,

"Oh Jolina, I'm so glad that I have found you at last. And I'm proud to call you my daughter."

Then Jolina pulled away and said,

"Father, I know you've already met, but this is my husband, Mohatu."

"Yes and a wonderful king and queen the two of you have become. That's how I knew where you were Jolina. You see, I didn't know your name until Zazi told me, and as we started trying to track you, we heard wonderful stories, about a beautiful kingdom, and both your names."

Then Zazi spoke it,

"Jolina, I was hoping you could do a favor for me?"

"Of course, Zazi, anything." Jolina replied.

The bird then signaled for her daughter to come forward,

"Well, you see, Zaza's father comes from a long line of majordomos. Zaza has been well-trained, and we were hoping that perhaps you and your kingdom could use her services."

Jolina looked at her mate, then Mohatu spoke,

"My father had one, and I think that's just what our kingdom needs. I shall be glad to require your services Zaza."

Both birds smiled and bowed. Then Jolina said,

"You must all be very hungry. Our hunting party should be home by now. And we need to introduce you to the rest of the pride.

* * *

Later that evening, after the lions had eaten and met Azir, Zazi, and Zaza, Jolina and Mohatu went for a walk.

"Wow, this is really over-whelming. But I'm happy for you Joli. I always knew that you were a princess!"

"Haha kiss up!" she smiled, and then said

" Yeah, it has been quite a day." her face them became serious,

"Mohatu do you remember that night we fell asleep outside?"

Mohatu smiled,

"Yeah and how the others freaked out and a search party to look for us the next morning!"

Jolina laughed at the memory too, but then she said,

"Yes, but what we talked about that night. About how things reveal themselves in time. Well, I think I learned something today."

"What?" he asked.

"That the Great Kings do things in their own time. That even if it's not what we expected, it's for the best, and sometimes we get lucky." she answered.

Mohatu nodded his head, and somewhat confused said,

"Does this have anything to do with your father?"

Jolina shook her head.

"Then what Joli?"

"Well I haven't been feeling well lately, and I went to see Rafiki today." she said.

Mohatu cut in,

"Joli, what's wrong, are you sick?"

Jolina simply couldn't hold a warm smile, which only confused Mohatu even more, but she answered,

"No, I'm not sick, but Mohatu... you're going to be a father. I'm...I'm pregnant."

Mohatu stared at her for a moment, then a wide grin spread across his face, and he pulled Jolina into him.

"Oh Joli, I'm so happy. We're going to be great parents."

Jolina just smiled in her mate's embrace, because finally she was going to be a mother.

* * *

_A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed. What do you think of Azir? Btw what has been your favorite part of the story so far? Thanks, please review! _


	24. Chapter 24: A New Princess

_A/N: Like always, thanks for the reviews, I enjoyed reading them! If you have noticed that Uru's dark coat is unlike her parents and her mentioned grandparents, then you are correct and that shall be revealed in this chapter. The song featured at the end of this chapter is called "Baby Mine", it's from Dumbo, which I do not own! Nor do I own the Lion King, even though Simba is and always will be my hero! :) _

* * *

Chapter 24: A New Princess

When Mohatu and Jolina had happily announced that they were expecting, everyone in the pride had been joyful and excited.

"I knew it!" Kanya happily said.

"Oh, Jolina we're so happy for you!" Zuria replied.

Even Jolina's father had said,

"Congratulations, Jolina, you will be a wonderful mother, just as your own was."

* * *

For about the first month and a half of her pregnancy, Jolina still attended to her queenly duties, such as meeting with other prides and forming hunting strategies, though she was very careful to stay out of harm's way. But as the burden of carrying a cub became heavier, Jolina resigned temporarily from her duties; Kanya had taken over as lead huntress, and Zuria met with the neighboring kingdoms on Jolina's behalf. Sitting idel, after so long without a spare moment, was strange to Jolina, but she soon found ways to occupy herself. Rafiki had told her that remaining active would benefit the cub, and so every morning, Jolina went to one of the secluded waterholes and swam, something she had enjoyed since her cubhood. She also spent much time chatting with some of the other expectant lionesses and her friend Zazi. But usually Jolina could be found talking with and getting to know her father. Jolina had come to love and respect him just as much as she had her mother. They talked about her cubhood and her mother. But Azir also confided in Jolina the guilt that he carried over what had happened to his pride, her mother, and herself. Jolina, though always told him that he'd done the best anyone could have, and that they were together now and that's what mattered. One morning however, he told Jolina something very interesting.

"About a month before you were born, the new shaman that had joined our kingdom, had a vision and a prophecy concerning you." he said.

"What was it?" she asked.

"That you would save your pride and kingdom from a terrible fate." he replied.

"Whoa, what was the shaman's name?" she asked.

"Rafiki." he answered.

* * *

In the afternoons, Jolina often went with Mohatu as he attended his afternoon duties, as they were closer to Pride Rock than his morning rounds. Zaza had proved to be extremely helpful and a great asset to the kingdom. Her ability to fly meant that she could easily keep the king and queen updated on problems that had arisen. In fact, many times she actually managed to resolve issues on her own. Jolina enjoyed the time she spent with her mate as they dealt with the concerns and disputes of their subjects. And as they walked they talked about names for their new cub, and other such things that expecting parents disscuss.

* * *

Mohatu was anxiously pacing to and fro outside the den. Every scream and moan of agony from Jolina making his already thumping heart, pound all the more.

"Dude, chill out." Izogie said.

"Mohatu everything is fine, just calm down." Strawberry added.

When Mohatu looked up, Raoul nodded reassuringly, and Mohatu attempted to calm himself and he sat next to his three friends, as Rafiki, Kanya, Zuria, and an older lioness were with Jolina.

* * *

The pain was unbearable, and as she did her best to listen to Rafiki and the lionesses' coaching, she felt like liquid fire was cutting through her. With one last tremendous effort, the pain began to subside and Jolina heard the soft little whimpers of a cub.

"Congratulations Jolina, you are a mother." Zuria said as Rafiki placed a small, dark-pelted ball of fur into her paws."

"Oh my baby, my sweet little baby." Jolina whispered as she began to lick and nuzzle her little cub.

* * *

Mohatu was back to his nervous pacing when Rafiki and the lionesses emerged from the den.

"Congratulations Mohatu, your cub is perfectly healthy, and the mother is fine." Zuria said.

"You can go in now!" Kanya said with a laugh.

And with that Mohatu bounded into the den, and there he saw the glowing face of his mate, and curled up into her paws was a little ball of dark fluff.

"Congratulations Mohatu, you have a daughter." Jolina said.

Mohatu quietly came and lay next to Jolina.

"Oh Joli, she's beautiful." he said.

"Yes she is, she's perfect." Jolina replied, then added,

"Look she has your nose!"

And it was true, for there set against her dark face was a bright pink little nose.

"I'm not sure where she got her dark coloring from though." Jolina said.

Mohatu gave a sigh and said,

"I do."

Jolina looked at him, puzzled and asked,

"Who?"

Mohatu gave another sigh and answered,

"She-she looks like my...mom."

Jolina looked at her mate, and then said,

"You never told me your mother's name."

Mohatu looked at Jolina and said,

"Her name was Auru."

Jolina paused for a moment, and then said,

"Mohatu, if it's alright with you, I'd like to name our daughter Uru, in honor of your mother."

Mohatu looked at his mate, a mixture of loss and joy washing over him, finally he said,

"Oh Joli, I'd love that." he answered as a single tear fell down his cheek.

"Do want to hold her?" Jolina asked.

Mohatu nodded his head, and Jolina gently placed Uru into her father's paws.

"She's so tiny." Mohatu whispered.

Then he carefully touched his nose to the sleeping cub's and to her parent's surprise, Uru's eyelids began to flutter open.

"Joli, she has your eyes." Mohatu exclaimed.

And it was true, for set against dark chocolate fur, was a pair of sparkling amber orbs, shimmering with innocence. Jolina nuzzled into Mohatu and the two proud parents looked down with pride and joy at their newborn daughter.

* * *

Mohatu stood at the tip of Pride Rock, proudly looking over the crowd of gathered animals. The leaders of the clans had requested to see their future ruler, and so a special presentation ceremony had been aranged. Rafiki ascended to Pride Rock, and giving Mohatu a smile, they both walked over to where Jolina was holding a three day old Uru. Rafiki stood over the little cub and anointed her her head with juice and dirt; the juice symbolizing the royal blood that flowed through her veins, and the dirt, for the deep tie she had to the land that she would one day rule. Uru giggled at the funny face of the odd creature as he picked her up and walked toward the tip of Pride Rock. The animals stood anxiously waiting, and then the young cub was lifted into the air, and the animals went wild over the sight of their new princess. Mohatu and Jolina watched proudly as one-by-one the animals bowed in respect for the future Queen of the Pridelands.

* * *

Little did King Mohatu and Queen Jolina know that enemies were watching the celebration from shadows in the distance.

"The cub is a female. Do we act soon?" a lion asked.

"Patience, Kambili, we will wait. The right moment will present itself soon enough." a scrawny lion replied.

Then a larger and older lion spoke,

"Rondo would be very proud of you. You have proven yourself to be your father's son, Sinjun."

Sinjun gave an evil grin and answered,

"Yes and I shall avenge him by finishing what he started. You see, I found out that Azir wasn't killed, and that Queen Jolina is his long lost daughter. I'm afraid their little family reunion won't last much longer." he said with a sinister chuckle.

Just thne an older lioness with a light tan pelt and lavendar eyes approached,

"What is is Holly?" Sinjun snapped.

"Pardon me sir, but your allies have arrived."

"Good, soon this land shall belong to us, and their pitiful kingdom shall be destroyed!" Sinjun said, giving an evil chuckle.

The lioness named Holly walked away from the evil lions who had abused her for so long,

"_Could Azir truly still be alive? And this young queen...is she really the princess?"_ she thought.

_(3 months later)_

Uru had grown fast. Now a three month old cub she was full of energy and the spirit of adventure. Mohatu and Jolina were wonderful parents, and Uru loved them both a great deal. While there were three other lioness cubs around her age, Uru wasn't really friends with them. In fact, she avoided them as much as possible. They were a bit older than Uru, and they all had a variation of the now distinctive Pridelander coat, and often teased Uru about her dark coloring. The sun was beginning to set, and Jolina was looking for her daughter. She was staring to get worried and was about to tell Mohatu, when she heard little whimpers.

"_Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes."_

Jolina found her daughter crying on a small ledge that was on the rear side of Pride Rock.

"Uru sweetie, what's wrong?" Jolina asked, nuzzling the little cub.

"I'm not pretty mama." Uru sobbed.

Jolina felt like she had been stabbed in the heart.

"_Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine."_

"Oh Uru, you are the prettiest little lioness in the world. What would make you think such a thing?"

The little cub turned to her mother and said,

"Laina and her friends said that nobody thought dark lionesses were pretty."

Laina was one of the newer lioness' cub. She was close to Uru in age, but a little older, and she was a bit of a bully. Jolina had wanted to have a word with Laina's mother, who herself, really was a sweet lioness, but she and Moahtu had thought it best that Uru learn to deal with such situations without them directly interfering.

"_Little one when play, don't you mind what they say."_

Jolina looked at Uru and said,

"Oh darling, you cannot believe everything others tell you. And besides, do you realize how special your color is?"

Uru's ears perked up and she said,

"Special...how?"

"_Let those eyes sparkled and shine, never a tear, baby of mine."_

Jolina smiled,

"Because you got it from your grandmother Auru. She was your father's mother, and though I never knew her, I know that she was a beautiful lioness, and a wonderful queen. You were also named after her."

At that Uru smiled, and Jolina continued,

"_From your head to your toes, your so sweet, goodness knows."_

"Let me tell you something that my own mother told me as a cub. Sometimes when we are different from others, they may tease or fear us. Laina and her friends don't understand that we are all different, and beautiful in our own ways. But though we are different we all have a very special place in the 'Circle of Life', and you my little one have a _very_ special place, for one day you will be queen, and a wonderful queen you shall be."

Then Uru looked at her mother,

"But mama, what if I don't know how to be queen?"

Jolina smiled and said,

"Oh darling, you have plenty of time, and you will learn as you grow."

"But what if I don't understand?" Uru persisted.

Jolina sighed and then remembered something that her mother had told her once as they sat looking at the stars.

"Uru, do you see the stars?"

"Oh yes mama, they're beautiful."

"Yes they are, but did you know that the Great Kings of the Past looked down on us from the stars?"

"What about the Great Queens?" Uru asked.

Jolina smiled,

"I believe that they do too."

"Are grandma Auru and grandma Aza up there?" the cub asked.

Jolina nuzzled Uru,

"Yes, Uru, they are, watching over us and guiding us when we need help."

And so mother and daughter nuzzled one another as they looked up at the twinkling canvass of stars.

"_Your so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine."_

_A/N: Uru is here! I hoped you enjoyed and leave a review, next chapter coming soon! Btw I thought "Baby Mine" was a good song for the moment. Wbu?_


	25. Chapter 25: Taken

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I just have to say that I came up with some really dumb names for some of the characters. Like Sinjun...who names a lion Sinjun? And Rondo, Ponjo, Kelsh, and Azir it seems that I took random syllables and pieced them together. Oh well, seemed to work. I don't own the Lion King, so on with the story! _

* * *

Chapter 25: Taken

Jolina had risen before Mohatu, Uru, and the rest of the pride. She looked at her sleeping mate and cub. Uru slept in the small space between Jolina and Mohatu's bodies, and Jolina smiled as she saw Uru snuggle into her father's fluffy mane. Jolina was walking about the kingdom, when she remembered what her father had told her about the prophecy that a shaman named Rafiki had given about her before she was born. She knew that it couldn't be a simple coincidence. _"I'll bet he knew who I was the whole time!"_ she thought to herself. It was true that the mandrill had dropped many hints here and there in his cryptic words and now that Jolina knew the truth about her heritage, she understood what he'd meant.

Jolina felt a warm breeze ruffle her fur, as she breathed in the sweet morning air. The dry season was nearing it's end and Jolina knew the rain's were due any day now. She looked out across the land and sighed, it was indeed a breathtaking sight, with the proud acacia trees spanning the horizon, the tall grass waving in the wind, and the contented animals happily munching, as their own little ones frolicked in the cool morning air. But for Jolina, it was so much more than a beautiful view, for it was here that she had married her one true love, her she was reunited with the father she thought she would never meet, and here that she had been given her sweet little Uru. She loved this land more than she had any other, it had become a part of her and she a part of it. This was an attachment and love for the land that she would pass down to future generations, and it would forever flow through the blood of her descendants. Suddenly, she lay down in the lush grass, and began to roll about as they had done when they had won the kingdom against almost impossible odds. Her heart was filled with a indescribable feeling, almost as if this was the last time she would ever see this place, the last time she would wake up in Mohatu's embrace with Uru curled into her, the last day she would be the queen of these proud lands. Jolina stood, and shook off the absurd feeling, no, she had plenty of years left, wonderful years, in which she would raise her Uru, years that she would nurture and protect her kingdom, and years that she would grow old with her beloved and spoil her grandchildren. Jolina sighed and began to make her way back to Pride Rock, and as she approached she could see that most of the pride was awake, including Mohatu and Uru. They both began to walk down to her, well Moahtu was walking while Uru was stumbling and tripping as she tore past her father and down to her mother.

"Mama, Daddy cannot take me for a walk this morning, will you?" the little cub pleaded.

Just then Jolina saw the hunting party approaching her. Kanya had heard Uru's question, and she gave Jolina a nod, telling her to go. Jolina smiled a 'thank you' and looked back down at Uru.

"Very well." she said.

"Yay!" Uru rejoiced.

So after brief, but warm goodbyes, Mohatu set off on his rounds and Jolina and Uru headed out for a walk. As Uru happily bounced about and pounced at insects, her mother's mind was elsewhere. The hunting party had been split into two groups. One led by Kanya or herself, the other by Ilanga or Eme. The pride had become much larger with a little over twenty members, meaning many more mouths to feed, but the land was plentiful and the huntresses well trained. But something much more troubling was shadowing her mind. As of late, Zaza had reported the appearances of strange lions about the outside of the border. She and Mohatu had decided they had no reason to see it as a threat, but still, they'd told everyone to be on guard, just as a precaution. But before Jolina could ponder anymore, Uru said,

"Look mama."

Jolina did, and there she saw an unfamiliar lioness approaching her. She quickly pushed Uru behind her as the lioness came up. She had light tan fur and strikingly familiar lavender eyes.

"Can I help you" Jolina asked, for the lioness had stopped and was studying her in a peculiar way. The lioness seemed to snap out of her trance, for she immediately said,

"My sister is dreadfully sick, and she has collapsed. Can you please help me?"

Jolina agreed to help at once, but she turned back and whispered to Uru,

"Uru stay here in the long grass."

"But mama'" Uru began to protest, but Jolina cut her off when she said firmly,

"Uru."

"Yes mama." the little cub sighed.

So Jolina followed the lioness just a small ways from where she had left Uru, to a clearing in the grass. The lioness put her head down, and with sad eyes said,

"I'm so sorry."

Jolina was now thoroughly confused, and she could feel her heart rate beginning to rise.

"Sorry. Why? And where is your sister?" she asked becoming frantic.

Just then Jolina heard rustling in the grass, and then emerged the forms of dark and cruel looking lions. As she found herself surrounded, she heard a hauntingly familiar chuckle.

"Well ,well, well if it isn't the lovely Queen Jolina."

Jolina snarled as she turned and saw the scrawny lion, and she said,

"Sinjun. You are not allowed on these lands. I command you to leave at once and never return."

But Jolina's attempt at regal authority was a futile defense and only caused Sinjun to chuckle all the more. Then he responded,

"Oh your majesty, did you honestly think I would allow you to get away with the atrocities you have committed against me? I'm afraid that you have been gravely mistaken."

Just then Kambili appeared,

"What do we do with this little runt boss?"

And to Jolina's horror, she saw a dark little cub struggling in the jaws of one of the lions near Kambili.

"Uru!" she screamed.

"Ah, so this is the little princess, how delightful!" Sinjun said, evilyl grinning into the little cub's face. Uru responded by giving the horrible lion a good cuff on the nose, causing him to yelp in pain.

"I see she is just as insolent and useless as her mother!" he snarled, then he yanked Uru from the other lion's grip and tossed her at her mother's feet. Jolina growled, but Sinjun cut her off saying,

"We'll take both of them!"

"What, no! She's got nothing to do with it, she's just a cub!" Jolina pleaded.

But Sinjun ignored her and ordered,

"Move out!"

Then Jolina and Uru were roughly shoved along by the cruel lions. Little did they know that a certain purple feathered bird had watched to whole scene.

* * *

Jolina and Uru were taken far beyond the borders of the Pridelands. As they crossed a dried up river bed, Jolina noticed something odd. There was a strange wall of logs lodged against the banks of the bed, and it was clear that the makeshift dam was holding back a vast amount of water. In fact, she could see small leaks here and there as the pressure of the water forced itself against the logs. The shallow banks became very steep further downstream and eventually dropped off into a deep gorge. As she was roughly pushed along, Uru stayed under her mother's legs, trying to hide from the glares of the evil lions. When they had reached their 'destination', Jolina could see huge piles of bones, and realized that this was the place Zuria had called the 'elephant graveyard'. The land was barren and gray, the air was dusty and a putrid scent wafted through the dry air.

"Put her in the cave! Holly you and the other are to keep her under strict guard, and if she escapes, you know the price that you will have to pay." Sinjun ordered.

The old lioness nodded her head, and she and two other lionesses lead Jolina and Uru into a huge elephant skull. The lioness that seemed familiar to Jolina looked at her and said,

"Are you the daughter of Azir and Aza?"

The question shocked Jolina, but she answered defensively,

"What is it to you?"

The lionesses didn't flinch at Jolina's harshness, but simply asked.

"Is it true?"

Jolina answered coolly,

"Yes."

The three strange lionesses all exchanged glances, and the one with lavender eyes nodded her head to her companions, and the three exited the cave, leaving Jolina and Uru alone. The little cub tapped her mother's leg and said,

"Mama, what's going to happen?"

"I-I don't know." Jolina replied.

Suddenly Uru began to cry,

"This is all my fault, if we hadn't gone on a walk, they wouldn't have found us!"

"Oh, no darling. If they have been planning this, nothing would have stopped them."

The cub nodded her head, and said,

"I'm scared."

"I'm scared too Uru, but I promise that I will not let anything hurt you, okay."

Then Jolina brought her little cub to her and told her to rest.

* * *

"WHAT!" Mohatu roared when Zaza had frantically explained how the queen and princess had been kidnapped.

"What did the lions look like, Zaza?" Raoul asked.

Zaza explained and all the lions growled,

"Sinjun" Kanya spat.

All the others knew it to be true.

"Zaza, you must find out where they've been taken." Mohatu said.

"Right away, sire!" Zaza said with a bow.

"And Zaza, do be careful." he added.

With a nod, the bird took off into the sky, heading north. Then Mohatu groaned,

"This is all my fault, I should have known Sinjun would come back for revenge."

"It's going to be alright Mohatu, we'll get them back, you'll see." Zuria said.

And all his friends gave him a reassuring nod, but this did little to comfort the distraught king as he paced anxiously, waiting for Zaza to return. _"Oh Joli, I'm so sorry."_ he thought.

* * *

_A/N: Well there it is. What do you think is going to happen? Okay so after this there will be three chapters, two will be shorter though, but (I hope) good. Next chapter coming soon! Please review! _


	26. Chapter 26: Unexpected Ties

_A/N: Hello my lovely readers, I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to update, school is back in now and I have a several AP classes and a VERY demanding choral and student advisory group, so I've had a lot on my plate. I have really missed this story and now that I'm settled into school, I hope I can update somewhat regularly! Those of you who are in school, good luck with this year and I hope you find it rewarding, I'll be a junior in high school, so I'm excited...and nervous...wow, only one more year to go. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it will be the last "long" chapter. And so on with the story! I don't own The Lion King!_

* * *

Chapter 26: Unexpected Ties

Uru had fallen asleep, and though Jolina couldn't see anything but the interior of the cave, she knew that it was probably sometime after sunset. Jolina looked at her innocent little daughter, and the sinister shadows that played across the cave wall reflected her mind, as she wondered if she was going to be able to keep her promise. Then the three lionesses that had escorted Jolina into the cave appeared before her. One of them dragging a scrape of meat.

"We thought you might be hungry." the light tan one stated.

Jolina eyed the elder lioness suspiciously, but she answered,

"Why are you trying to help me?"

The lioness sighed and said,

"Because you are our only hope."

Jolina stood in shock for a moment, then slowly answered,

"Uh..Excuse me?"

"You are the only one that can help us escape the servitude that we have been enslaved in for so long." the lionesses said.

"You mean, you're _slaves_?" Jolina asked.

The lioness slowly nodded her head, casting her eyes to the floor of the cave.

" I don't understand though, how do you know my parents? And how am I the only one who can help you?" Jolina asked.

The lioness exchanged glances and the tan one spoke again,

"Because I was once a member of your parent's kingdom. We all were." and she gestured to the other lionesses.

"Wait, how do I know this isn't some kind of trick? I wouldn't put it past Sinjun to do something this treacherous." Jolina said.

The older lioness sighed and dropped her head,

"I don't know how to answer that, all I know is to tell the truth and pray that you will understand."

Jolina heard the sincerity of her tone, her harsh facade melting, and she said,

"Alright, I believe you. But if you were a part of my parent's pride, then how are you alive?"

"Now that is a very long story. Is it true that you have been reunited with your father?" the lioness asked.

Jolina nodded her head, and the lioness continued,

"So he has told you about your past?"

"Yes." Jolina answered.

"And so you are aware that your parents were the king and queen, and that you my dear, were born a princess?" the lioness said.

"Well, yes he did tell me all those things. But he also said that everyone was killed, and only a few managed to escape when Rondo attacked the pride." Jolina replied.

Just as the tan lioness began to speak, one of the others interrupted her,

"Don't you think it best if we introduce ourselves?"

"Oh yes, of course, I'm so sorry. My name is Holly, and this is Mona and Chaka. They are sisters." Holly said.

"Twin sisters to be exact." Chaka piped in.

"My name is Jolina and this is my daughter Uru." Jolina said.

"My what a unique and beautiful coat she has." Mona said.

Jolina smiled warmly and then Holly spoke,

"Your mother and I are actually cousins, her mother and mine were sisters."

Jolina politely interrupted,

"Wait, you're my cousin? Is that way your eyes seem so similar to my mother's?"

Holly smiled,

"Oh yes, it runs in the family. Though I can see you got your looks from your father."

Jolina smiled, and Holly continued,

"I was always very close to your sister, we grew up together in fact. Life was wonderful for our pride after your parents were married. But then Rondo came back, I was actually with you during the initial attack, before your mother managed to escape with you. She felt horrible for abandoning the pride and Azir, and the only thing that would convince her to leave was your safety, so we said our farewells and she left. By the time I rejoined the others for the battle, it was all but over, the bodies of my friends, elders, and even little cubs littered the ground. So many were dead that I assumed your father was among them. Only about six of us remained alive. Oh Jolina, Rondo went on a rampage looking for you. He even tortured and murdered two young lionesses for your whereabouts, but of course they did not know. The remaining four of us were taken captive and forced into slavery for Rondo and his gang. One of them was Leila, a good friend of your parents. She was forced to be Rondo's mate and she is Sinjun's mother. After she gave birth to a son, Rondo had little use for her, and when she saw how twisted and brainwashed her child had become, she just... withered away. Poor dear. But the three of us have been serving Rondo's gang since. When Rondo was still around reports came in about a lioness and her adolescent cub living in a nearby jungle. Rondo believed it to be you and was once again possessed by the obsession of killing you. In spite of the advice his lieutenants gave him, he left for the jungle, but never came back. No one ever knew what became of him." Holly finished.

"I do." Jolina said with a coldness she'd never known before. She swallowed the grief of her mother's senseless murder and said,

"He did find us. But my mother killed him."

"Oh Aza, she always was a fierce fighter. Where is she now?" Holly said excitedly.

Jolina sighed as one small tear-drop slid down her cheek.

"She did kill him, but she-she gave her own life in doing so."

There was a pause among the lionesses, as all remembered the dear friend, queen, and mother that Aza had been.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. But she would be very proud of you." Holly finally said.

"Thank you." Jolina replied warmly, she didn't take the praise of her mother's relative and close friend lightly.

Holly continued this time assuming an authoritative and more serious tone,

"But now that you know our story, we must explain to you Sinjun's plan, at least what we've been able to piece together of it."

Jolina nodded as Holly began to explain.

* * *

"So now that I've acquired his mate and daughter, that fool of a king will surely come for them, and when he does, he and that pathetic pride of his will fall right into our trap." Sinjun explained.

"This had better work Sinjun. I will not tolerate failure. Do not disappoint me as your father did." a large lion said, extending a sharp claw to Sinjun's chin.

"I won't." Sinjun replied coldly.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, I have changed my mind about how much of this story there is left. I was going to combine the next three segments of scenes into a mega chapter. Well I've realized how irrational that was now that I have no time. So instead of you guys having to wait forever for a mega chapter, now you can enjoy the more broken down and frequent updates. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. *Nantsingonyama*_


	27. Chapter 27: Operation Kick Sinjun's Butt

_A/N: Hello dear readers, thanks to all of you who have followed and read this story. First, I have a couple of story recommendations for you. Lew Lion has written an excellent story that portrays Mohatu and Uru in completely different ways than mine, but it's a great fanfic. The name is "Betrayal of the Betrayed", and I'm really enjoying it. Also, I'd like to recommend NibbytheHedgeHog's story, '"A New Chapter". The story is extremely well written, and if you're looking for a story about life for the Pridelanders after TLK2, that isn't a dud, this is the one! Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Chapter 27: Operation Kick Sinjun's Butt

"So you think that Sinjun is setting a trap for my pride?" Jolina asked.

"Yes, we don't know how many, but he has acquired an alliance with some of his father's old friends." Holly answered.

"Do you know where they are trying to lure them to?" Jolina said.

The lionesses solemnly shook theirs heads 'no'. Then Mona spoke,

"But we do know that kidnapping you and the princess is how they planned on luring your pride in."

Jolina sat in silence as she digested the sketchy and disturbing information. She knew that she had to somehow warn her pride, in all likelihood Mohatu would have the whole kingdom relentlessly searching for her and Uru. And if Sinjun had a trap for them, the results would be devastating. She couldn't allow that to happen. She turned back to the other lionesses and asked,

"Holly, is there any way to escape without being seen if we manage to get out of this cave?"

Holly thought for a moment then said,

"Well, Sinjun's cave is on the other side of the graveyard. Most of the rogues mill about the area when they are not on a mission or training. And of course, Sinjun has many eyes watching to make sure that you don't try to escape. There are also guards assigned to patrol the premises at all times too."

Jolina let out a frustrated sigh,

"Looks like he's covered everything. I don't know how we could manage to get out with that many lions on the lookout."

Then Holly's face lit up as she thought of one small detail that may be their salvation.

"But there is a small ditch we may be able to make use of. It leads to the riverbed that we crossed earlier. It's possible that in there we wouldn't be seen and we could easily get back to your kingdom."

"The only problem would be getting Jolina and Uru out of the cave to the ditch. We can't just waltz out the front with them." Mona added.

Jolina thought for a moment. There just had to be another way out of the cave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of moonlight penetrating the dark interior of the cave in a far corner. She walked over and noticed a small hole in the wall, just a bit smaller than her head. She looked out of the hole and saw a few withered trees and a small outcrop of large boulders. She knew it was a long-shot, but if they could increase the size of the hole, the sparse vegetation and rocks may just be enough to cover their escape. She walked back over to the older lionesses, and the sleeping form of her little daughter. She knew that Sinjun would kill Uru and herself as soon as he got the chance. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. She would get Uru out of that place.

"Could one of you keep watch on the outside near the far wall?" Jolina asked.

"Of course, but how are we going to get you and your daughter out of this cave?" Chaka asked.

Despite the severity of the situation, Jolina couldn't help but give a small grin as she replied,

"I think I've got a plan."

* * *

Mohatu couldn't wait any longer. Zaza had been gone for several hours, and his patience had run out. He knew that Jolina and Uru had been taken north. Many animals had reported sightings of strange lions near the northern border and in the elephant graveyard, and now he was paying the price for not investigating. He would take a small team and follow that general direction until he could pick up Jolina's scent. He would devise a more meticulous plan from there. He walked into the cave knowing just the lions he wanted.

* * *

Jolina explained the idea to the other lionesses. They all agreed that, though it was very risky, it was better than any other alternative. So Chaka and Mona both stood guard, one at the mouth of the cave, the other near the back and close to the ditch. Jolina walked over to the small hole and began to push; throwing her entire body weight into it. Surprisingly, rocks and bones began to crumble away; though in small amounts. This heartened Jolina, but there was still a long way to go. Holly moved in to help her in the draining task, and despite her age, she threw herself into the work with almost as much energy as Jolina. The two lionesss picked up a steady rhythm as bit by bit the wall began to collapse. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Mohatu and his team traveled through the night. The brooding clouds that blotted out the moon cast shadows across the land, souring his mood even more. Stopping for a moment, he began to sniff the ground near a large lion paw print. Many smokey and filthy scents bombarded his nose, but he could still pick out the faint trace of his mate and daughter.

"This must have been where they took them, look at the scrapes and claw marks on the ground." Zuria said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, looks like Jolina didn't go down without a fight." Izogie said.

"I just hope they're alright." Eme added quietly.

Mohatu looked at the group of lions around him. Initially, he'd only wanted to bring Strawberry, Raoul, Izogie, and Kelsh; but of course, Kanya, Ilanga, Zuria, and Eme had insisted that they come too. Azir had also persuaded Mohatu to let him join the team. Mohatu couldn't say no to the old lion who had been separated from his child for so long. And now that he had his own daughter, he knew that even if he was near death, he would still look out for her if she was in danger. Now that they had picked up the scents, it was a matter of following the trail, devising a plan, and being very cautious.

* * *

Jolina gave an exhausted groan as she used her weight to break away the remaining rocks. Her entire body ached, but she kept going. Finally, the last of the rocks crumbled away, leaving a hole large enough for a small lion to squeeze through. Looking through the hole, she could she the first traces of dawn tinting the darkened sky with pink streaks. She and Holly had worked literally all night, and now they would have to move fast if they were to escape. Holly left to fetch Mona who was standing at the entrance, and Jolina moved over to the stirring form of Uru. She licked the little cub, and Uru instantly woke. She looked around with a dazed expression at the unfamiliar place until the events of the previous day flooded back to her mind, and she gave a small whimper.

"Uru listen to me, you must do exactly as I tell you, and you must be very quiet. Do you understand?" Jolina said.

Uru, hearing her mother's serious tone, shook her head, yes. Holly and Mona entered and confirmed that the coast was clear. So the three lionesses and Uru slipped through the small hole, and headed down to the ditch that Chaka was guarding. Slowly and silently they began to crawl across the dry ground.

* * *

Zaza was flying over the elephant graveyard. She was careful to fly high enough so that her vibrant color wasn't conspicuous. She noticed a few rogues lounging about near a large pile of bones. She alighted on the barren branches of a small tree and began carefully surveying the area for any signs of the queen and princess. Then an angry roar erupted from one of the caves.

"You IMBECILES! I told you to keep an eye on those incompetent lionesses, and now that miserable wretch of a queen has escaped!"

Zaza recognized the angry lion as the one called Sinjun.

"_So Queen Jolina has managed to escape!" _she thought happily.

Just as she was about to take to the sky, she noticed movement a few yards away. Flying over, she saw four lionesses and a cub slinking across the ground. She instantly recognized Jolina and Uru. Just as she was about to alight near them, she stopped herself.

"_If I land, I may give their position away."_ she reprimanded herself.

So she discreetly set off in the direction of the Pridelands to report to Mohatu, silently thanking the 'Kings'.

* * *

Two young, scruffy looking lions fell dead at the feet of Sinjun. They had paid for their carelessness with their lives. The lion that had threatened Sinjun earlier appeared from the shadows with a growl,

"I thought you said this plan wasn't going to fail."

Sinjun gulped and took a step back from the threatening lion. Just then another lion came bounding up.

"Boss, the enemies have been spotted. They are within range."

Sinjun gave a sigh of relif. Instantly his commanding persona returned and began barking orders to some of the surrounding lions. He then turned his attention to the older lion who had threatened him,

"This land shall be ours."

The lion let out a low growl,

"You had better be right."

The dark lion walked off just as Kambili appeared at Sinjun's side.

"Kambili, find the queen and princess, then bring them to me. I don't care what you do with the others." Sinjun ordered.

Kambili gave a curt nod and bounded off.

* * *

Mohatu and the others had lost Jolina's scent, and they were now over-looking a deep gorge. Something told Mohatu that Jolina was on the other side. As he was contemplating a plan of action, a flash of purple appeared before him.

"Sire, I found the queen and princess. They have managed to escape!" Zaza said excitedly.

Mohatu's heart began racing.

"That ah' girl, Jolina. Always out-smarting the blockheads!" Izogie cheered.

"Zaza, where are they?" Mohatu questioned.

"I believe the path they are taking should lead them into this gorge." the bird replied.

"C'mon everyone, we may not have much time!" the king ordered.

And so Mohatu and the others climbed down into the gorge. Just as they were about to head into the direction that Zaza guided them in, an evil chuckle echoed to Mohatu's ears. Looking up, he saw the scrawny, conniving form of Sinjun looking down down at him, an evil and twisted grin plastered onto his face.

"Why your Majesty, what an unexpected surprise."

* * *

_A/N: I know, I know, another cliff-hanger. Don't worry, I will be updating soon! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review, preferably one with detail! Thanks so much, till' next time,_

_*Nantsingonyama*! _


	28. Chapter 28: The Flood

_A/N: Hey guys! Here I am with the next update for Heart of a Lioness. Thanks to all of you who have followed and read this story. You all mean so much to me and are the most faithful and awesome reviewers in the world! Btw I accidentally spelled an author's name wrong in a recommendation I did last chapter. It was lew leon, not lew lion. Sorry about that. I hope that you enjoy this chapter! Only two more after this! This is going to be a long chapter! Oh, and the dam in this chapter is MUCh smaller thant the one in Simba's Pride. _

* * *

Chapter 28: The Flood

Jolina and the others had safely made it through the ditch. Her heart began pounding as they neared the dry river bed where they had crossed before. Once they made it across, they would bolt for the Pridelands. They emerged from the cover of the ditch and exchanging glances, quickly dashed to the riverbed. Just then Jolina heard Chaka gasp. Turning around her heart dropped as she saw Kambili block their path.

"So you believe can outwit us again, you pathetic wretch." he snarled at Jolina.

Uru, who was hiding behind the lionesses became bold standing so close to her mother, and said to Kambili,

"Hey, don't talk to my mother like that you buffalo butt!"

Then she gulped and quickly retreated between her mother's legs as Kambili moved toward her with an evil gleam in his eye. Jolina snarled and pushed Uru behind her. But just as she was preparing to defend her cub, Holly, Chaka, and Mona stepped in front of her.

"You and your horrible friends have hurt this family enough. We will not allow you to harm the queen or princess." Holly said bravely.

Perhaps for the first time in his life, Kambili looked as though he would actually laugh. But then his deamenor suddenly changed as he struck out at the three lionesses, landing a powerful blow to Holly's head sending the old lioness sprawling across the ground. Chaka and Mona quickly rushed to her, leaving Jolina alone. For a moment all she could do was stand in shock, then an image flashed through her mind; another lavender-eyed lioness being brutally attacked by a cruel lion. A wave of rage swept through Jolina, and releasing a thunderous roar, she lunged at Kambili, knocking the surprised lion into a boulder with such force that he slumped to the ground , unconscious. Jolina stepped away from his form and turned back to the others. To her surprise they were all smiling at her, including Holly who had managed to get back on her feet. Jolina returned their warm smiles. The lionesses checked their surroundings again and prepared to make their way across the riverbed when a bird landed in front of Jolina, it was Zaza.

* * *

Mohatu and the others stared in angry shock as several large lions appeared beside Sinjun.

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm running late for an appointment with the queen and princess. It has been a joy seeing you all, and I do hope you have a splendid time with my..._friends_. Farewell, and I don't believe we shall be seeing one another again." Sinjun mocked.

"Oh please, we've kicked your sorry butt before, and we will do it again." Kanya shouted.

Sinjun turned his nasty glare to her and said with an evil gleam in his eye,

"Somehow, my dear, I _very_ much doubt that."

Then he turned back to the lions beside him,

"Kill them all, after that continue on with the rest of the plan."

As Sinjun gloated, Mohatu had all but pieced together his enemies plans. He knew that he and friends had fallen into a trap, and once he and the others were dead, he knew nothing would stop Sinjun from reclaiming the Pridelands and subjecting his pride and kingdom to unspeakable horrors. Mohatu knew that if they even stood a chance of defeating Sinjun, they had to get out of the gorge.

"Retreat!" he ordered.

Instantly his companions began to scramble back up the walls of the gorge just as Sinjn's soldiers began to pour down to the area they had been in only moments before. Most of his friends had managed to get to the top, but Mohatu saw a few rocks give way causing little Eme to loose her footing. As she fell toward him, he was able to catch the little lioness by the scruff of her neck. Somehow he managed to haul them both up onto the rock face where Raoul and Strawberry pulled them to their feet. Mohatu quickly recovered and when he looked across to the other side of the gorge, his heart nearly stopped. Spanning into the dusty distance of the graveyard and beginning to pour into the gorge was an army of over one hundred lions.

* * *

"Zaza!" Jolina cried happily.

"Your majesty, it is so good to see you safe." the bird replied.

"Where is Mohatu?" Jolina asked frantically.

"Your majesty, he and some of the others have been lured into a trap. Oh what are we going to do?" Zaza squawked.

Jolina knew she had to think and think fast.

"Zaza, go back to Pride Rock, and bring every able-bodied lion here. Tell them to prepare for battle." Jolina ordered.

The bird looked at the queen sadly and answered,

"I'm sorry my queen, but Sinjun's army is too much, even for the entire pride to take on."

Jolina looked taken-aback.

"What do you mean they're too much? Surely there are no more than fifteen lions at the most."

Zaza only gestured with her wing toward a small incline for Jolina to see into the gorge for herself. Jolina easily climbed up the small ledge and wanted to scream in agony at what she saw. Her mate , father, and dearest friends were about to be hopelessly overtaken by a huge army of lions. The front line of Sinjun's army had already descended into the gorge, and were about to make their way up the other side, where Mohatu and the others would be able to do little to stop them. Even if the rest of the pride were summoned, there would be no way they could compete with the huge mass of rogues. This time, there wasn't a way she could save her friends, no plan she could construct that would miraculously sweep away all danger. She suddenly remembered words of prophecy revealed the day of her birth and now it seemed as if those words would mock at her failure. She then heard a low rumbling sound and her gaze was drawn to the dam holding the wrathful flood back from the parched gorge. She felt hope rising in her at the salvation provided by the Great Kings themselves. She ran back down to the others.

"Zaza, you must escort Holly, Chaka, and Mona back to Mohatu and tell him that I sent them!" Jolina said.

"But your majesty..." the bird began to protest.

"Please Zaza, I haven't time to explain!" Jolina answered.

"Tell Mohatu and the others that no one is to enter the gorge no matter what." she continued.

The little bird bowed and prepared to follow the queen's instructions. Then Jolina addressed Holly,

"Take Uru with you. Please make sure that she is safe."

Holly gave Jolina a warm nuzzle and said,

"I will let nothing happen to her."

Jolina smiled at her new friends, then turned to Uru.

"Uru, I want you to listen to everything Holly or the others tell you. Be brave my little one. No matter what happens, I love you." Jolina said as she licked and nuzzled the little cub.

"I love you too mama." Uru answered.

Holly then picked the little cub up in her jaws and began to follow Zaza.

"Be safe!" Jolina called after them.

* * *

Sinjun chuckled in relief as he walked back to the area he'd instructed Kambili to bring Jolina and the cub to. He knew he'd been cutting it close when she had escaped. For two years after she had stolen his lands and dignity from him, he'd worked to secure alliances with his father's old friends. Most of them had refused, Rondo had betrayed them all when he had chased an empty vengeance. Only Jegura had consented to offer assistance to Rondo's son. But the old lion was far from friendly to Sinjun. Jegura had been friends with Rondo's older brother who had been killed by Azir. He was only too happy to see the destruction of his enemy's child and her kingdom. He'd only had to offer a large army of his finest lions in exchange for half of the land of the kingdom. When Sinjun entered the dusty landscape of the graveyard, he was shocked to see instead of Kambili, Jegura standing at the mouth of the cave, looking at him with a murderous expression.

* * *

Mohatu looked at his friends desperately when Sinjun's army began to enter the gorge.

"What are we going to do?" Zuria asked in panic.

Mohatu didn't see how it was possible for Sinjun to have acquired such a large army in that short of a time span. Then he remembered a lion who might know,

"Kelsh!" he said.

"Do you know how Sinjun was able to build such a large army?" Mohatu asked.

Kelsh came over to the king and said,

"Well, I know that Sinjun's father had powerful allies that left when he disappeared. I and the others like me were never told much. All I remember about the earlier times before they all abandoned Sinjun was that I was taken from my mother at a young age and forced to train with other cubs my age. Then I stayed with Sinjun until I met you guys."

Mohatu nodded his head, but was pulled from his thoughts by Kanya's voice.

"Ok, it's great to know where all these rogues came from, but how the heck are we going to get rid of them?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

Just then Izogie let out a loud laugh as he said,

"Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark!"

Apparently Strawberry had taken a bad step and let loose a small rock slide that had buried about four rogues that had begun to ascend toward the Pridelanders.

"Well, that's a way to do it!" Eme said as she too, sent rocky debris toward a couple of rogues who couldn't avoid the crumbling rocks. Suddenly all of the Pridelanders found themselves repeating the method, burying the first part of Sinjun's army.

* * *

Jolina examined the wall of logs closely. She knew that the water building behind it was putting an immense amount of pressure on the dam. If she was able to loosen the logs the water would do the rest. The only problem was the how was she going to do that. She heard growls in the distance and knew that time was running out.

* * *

Sinjun gulped as the looming form of Jegura addressed him.

"Your lieutenant has failed, and so have you."

"What do you mean? The plan is going perfectly..." Sinjun stammered, but he stopped as he heard Jegura laughing,

"Like father, like son. Your just as stupid and foolish as Rondo. Did you honestly think that I was going to allow you to live after the way your father betrayed and failed me?" Jegura snarled.

Sinjun remained silent, and Jegura continued,

"He promised me land and power. Not only did all of his plans fail, but he also stole the lioness I loved away from me!" And with that the huge lion leapt at Sinjun, snapping the scrawny lion's neck before he even had the chance to whimper. As he stepped over the body, Jegura only had one thought in mind, killing the daughter of Azir.

* * *

A sharp yelp of pain escape Jolina as she threw her body into the dam. Shaking the pain off, she repeated the process, but to no avail. The logs simply wouldn't budge. She paused from her taxing effort to catch her breath, desperation causing her blood to boil. Her body ached and her head felt as if it would spilt, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins kept her going. Just as she was about to make another lunge at the logs, a snapping sound caused her to turn around and gasp at the sight of a huge lion smiling evily at her.

* * *

Mohatu and the others had exhausted the pile of loose rock on the banks of the gorge, and they hadn't so much as made a dent in Sinjun's army. He'd already discussed with his pride mates what was to be done now. It was decided that the lionesses would return to Pride Rock and evacuate the pride, while he and the other males would attempt to distract the army, knowing that they would probably die in doing so. As the lions were trying to exchange goodbyes, Zaza and a group of old lionesses approached. But the thing that caught Mohatu's eyes was the small ball of dark fur that one of the lionesses had gently placed on the ground.

"Uru!" he shouted happily.

"Daddy!" the little cub cried as she raced to him.

He scooped her up and embraced her. Finally after he had examined her for any injuries and finding none, he turned his attention back to the others. As he looked the new lionesses all bowed their heads respectfully to him. But then he saw that his mate wasn't among them.

"Where's Jolina?" he asked.

Zaza stepped forward to address the king,

"Sire, Queen Jolina is alright. She sent us ahead to you. These lionesses helped her and Uru to escaped. This is Mona and Chaka, and this is Holly, who coincidentally is Jolina's cousin. All these lionesses were part of Azir and Aza's pride. Queen Jolina also gave us strict instructions to tell you that no one is to enter the gorge." Zaza finished.

Mohatu swallowed his worry for Jolina, and turned his attention to the new lionesses.

"You have my undying gratitude for helping my mate and daughter." he said with a soft smile.

The lionesses all smiled back at him, but a certain aged lion approached them.

"Holly, Chaka, Mona, is it really you?" Azir asked.

"Yes Azir, it is so good to see you. Jolina told us about Aza, but you should be very proud of your daughter. Thanks to her, we are finally free." Holly said as the three lionesses embraced their old friend. But the lions were interrupted by an inquiring voice.

"Mom?" a reddish-brown lion asked.

Holly turned her attention to the young lion, shock written all over her face.

"K-Kelsh?" she whispered.

The lion nodded his head, and that was all Holly needed. She ran to the lion and began covering him in kisses and motherly nuzzles.

"Oh my child, my son. I thought I would never see you again." she whispered to him.

All the lions stood in surprise at the unexpected discovery, then their faces melted into warm expressions of happiness, then alarm when Izogie shouted,

"Here they come again!"

While they had been talking and old friends and family reunited, Sinjun's army had continued their advance. The entire army had descended into the gorge and were organizing formations to effectively reach the other side. Mohatu looked at his friends,

"This is it. If any of you have any wish to go, you may do so." he told them.

Silence fell over the Pridelanders until Strawberry stepped forward and said,

"Mohatu, this is our home too. We will stand by your side until the end."

All the lions gave Mohatu a smile and nodded their agreement. But a loud snarl drew his attention away. Though his friends had remained loyal to him, he had no idea how they were going to face this danger.

* * *

Jolina continued to stare at the lion who was now standing near her in the river bed. Finally he spoke,

"A valiant effort, but a rather stupid method. Did you really think that something like this would work. I'm afraid that this time, your luck has run out."

Before Jolina had time to respond to his taunting, the lion lunged at her. She managed to dodge his attack though. The lion paused and said,

"Impressive, but elementary."

He made another lunge at her, but this time she was able to deflect him with a swipe to his shoulder. The lion groaned in pain. Then Jolina spoke,

"Who are you. Why are you doing this?"

The lion seemed surprised at her boldness, but then answered,

"Your father took everything away from me. And now he shall pay with your blood! And with you and Sinjun out of the way, I can have all I'm due and more!"

In a swift motion, the large lion tackled Jolina to the ground. She struggled under his immense weight, and when she looked up she could she his paw raised to deal her the fatal blow. At that moment, she heard a loud creaking sound come from the dam. The sound also drew the lion's attention, and for the spilt second he was distracted, Jolina kicked him off of her and ran toward the dam. A small log had been forced out of place, and a spray of water was leaking through an unseen crack. Jolina threw her entire body weight across the top of the log, causing it to shift even more. Suddenly, the other logs began to move too and the dam gave a huge groan. She began to back away when she felt a tight grip on her leg force her to the ground. Just as she looked up into the murderous lion's manic eyes, the dam burst, unleashing a furious flood.

* * *

Mohatu and the others had heard the loud rumble in the distance, and they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw a huge wave of water plunging into the ravine. Sinjun's army had heard it too and most began scrambling up the sides of the gorge to escape the impending doom of any creature caught in the flood. But many of them were too late, and the majority of Sinjun's army was swept away by the vicious waters.

"Everyone stay back!" Mohatu commanded.

On the bank, he could see a handful of rogues clinging to the wall, but one by one they lost their grip. Then to his shock, he saw a group climb their way our. The drenched group of rogues turned their attention to Mohatu and his companions and they began to move towards him and the others.

* * *

Jolina gasped as the icy water slammed into her. She'd managed to take a short breath before another wave took her under, rolling her around, and throwing her into rocks and logs. She felt the burning liquid seep into her lungs, but she knew she had to keep fighting. Resurfacing, she continued to fight the raging current.

* * *

Kanya, Izogie and the others didn't hesitate to plunge head-first into the group of snarling rogues. Though the vicious lions were weakened, their superior training was proving to be advantageous. But the Pridelanders had managed to take down a few and were still fighting hard. Mohatu quickly carried Uru to a small shrub where she could hide from the eyes of the rogues.

"Stay here sweetheart. I'll be right back." he told his shivering daughter.

Uru nodded and gave her father a small nuzzle. Reluctantly he left Uru and was about to turn to help his friends when a struggling figure in the river caught his eye.

* * *

Jolina was barely managing to keep her head above water. With her strenght sapped, she knew she had to get to land quickly. Just as she managed to avoid a log that was barreling toward her, she saw a small ledge jutting out from the banks. She fought her way towards it and was able to sink her claws into the slippery rock. She tried to pull herself up, but she was too weak. The water retained its sucking grip on her, threatening to pull her back into its icy depths. Jolina knew that if she let go, it would be all over. For near the end of the gorge was a huge drop off, where disaster awaited any creature swept over it.

* * *

Izogie slammed himself into a huge male that had been about to pounce on Eme. The lion fell to the ground where Kanya dealt her signature death blow. Just then he heard his mate Ilanga scream, "Look!"

Izogie turned to see Mohatu charging toward the bank where a light-beige lioness was clinging to the rock face for her life.

"It's Jolina!" he shouted.

"Izogie, watch out!" he heard Ilanga scream as a huge paw sent him tumbling to the ground. He was able to get back on his feet to see several rogues, including the one the that had hit him, set at a dead run for Pride Rock.

"Cheap shot!" he yelled after them.

"Izogie, Strawberry, Kelsh, Azir, follow me! The rest of you take down those two rogues and try to help Mohatu!" Raoul said.

So without further hesitation, the five males set off after the rogues.

* * *

Mohatu saw his mate struggling to maintain her grip on the ledge. He was still several yards away from her, but he was charging with all his might to her drenched form.

"Hang on Joli, I'm coming!" he called.

Jolina heard her name, when she looked up and over the edge of the gorge wall, she saw the figure of her beloved mate running to her. Relief washed over her, and she knew her struggle was almost over. Then she heard a scream; turning her head, she saw a little cub clinging to a rock, with a horrible-looking lion making his way to the cub.

"Uru, NO!" Jolina screamed.

* * *

Uru was shivering as she clung to the rock she was gripping. Her father had told her to stay near the bush, but when she had seen her mother on the bank, she had immediately emerged from her cover and began to make her way to Jolina. One of the rogues had seen, and in a malicious action, knocked the little cub off the bank and into the water. She hit the cold water and it pulled her small body into it's moving current. Somehow she'd managed to grip a rock near the bank, but she was to small to make the jump to safety. She was holding onto the slippery rock with all her strength when a vicious lion began to snarl at her and she screamed.

* * *

Mohatu had almost reached Jolina. He stopped on the edge and bent over the bank, intent on hauling his mate up by the scruff of her neck when she screamed for him to stop. He looked at her and followed her horrified gaze and saw what she was seeing. There shivering on a small rock was Uru with a lion advancing on her, a murderous glare on his features.

"Mohatu, GO! You have to save Uru!" Jolina screamed.

"C'mon Joli, let me help you first!" he told her.

"No, Mohatu, there's no time for that! Please." Jolina begged him.

Mohatu hesitated for a second and looked deeply into his mate's pleading eyes.

"Mohatu, our child! Please!" she screamed desperately.

Mohatu finally tore his gaze away from Jolina and ran to Uru.

* * *

Jolina watched Mohatu bound toward Uru.

"I love you." she whispered after him.

Just as she sighed in relief seeing that he would reach her baby in time, a huge log slammed into her, forcing her to let go of the ledge and back into the water. This time she didn't have the strength to fight as she was swept closer and closer to the drop-off.

* * *

Mohatu watched in horror as the evil lion prepared to knock his daughter into the water. He saw it was the lion Azir had identified as Jegura. With a deafening roar, Mohatu gave the lion a vicious swipe whick knocked the Jegura away from the cub and into the water. He grabbed Uru by the scruff of her neck just as she was about to slip off the rock and brought her safely back to the bank.

"Daddy." she whimpered.

He placed her gently on the ground and looked up in time to see Jolina fall back into the water.

* * *

Jolina saw her family on the safety of the bank as she was pushed onward by the raging current. A curious feeling came over her along with a memory. The image of a beautiful gray lioness filled her mind. It was the smiling face of her own mother, who had given her life to save that of her child's. Jolina vaguely felt the current pick up as she came upon the drop off. Turning back to her family and pride on the bank, she knew her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. And as she felt herself swept over the edge, she understood why her own mother had done what she had done...for love.

* * *

_A/N: Please review._


	29. Chapter 29: Mourning Lands

_A/N: Hello, I can' t thank you all enough for the wonderful support that you've given me. I know that the last chapter was intense for a lot of you; it was for me to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it is the second to the last._

* * *

Chapter 29: Mourning Lands

With a last exhausting effort, Kanya, along with Zuria and Holly, managed to bring the big rogue down. He hit the ground with a thud; a look of surprise and shock served as the last expression to be drawn upon his face. She could feel the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins only moments before, be replaced by relief. Looking up, she was happy to see that the other lionesses had defeated the remaining rogues. Some of them were looking at her with weary, but satisfied expressions. She gave a slow smile to Eme, who was tending to a nasty-looking wound on Ilanga's shoulder. Examining the other lionesses, she was glad to see that none of them had sustained any injuries, beyond a few scratches and bruises. Just as she was about to head toward Eme and Ilanga, a sickening sound pierced her ears. All the lionesses' attention was pulled toward the edge of the gorge, where the horrid sound had come from.

* * *

Mohatu's roar of agony sliced through the air, sending tremors across the flooded gorge.

"NOOOO!" he screamed, as he watched Jolina's weary form disappear from sight over the drop-off. Upon, hearing his cry, the other lionesses ran to him, looks of shock and horror hardening their features, for they too, had witnessed their beloved queen be swept over the waterfall. Mohatu was visibly shaking when he passed Uru to one of the lionesses and began to painstakingly make his way down the rocky ledge to the ravine where the drop-off was depositing the vast amounts of water. He was barely able to keep himself from slipping as a sickening feeling of dread formed a pit in his stomach.

* * *

The lionesses sat in ominous silence as they waited for Mohatu to return. None of them dared follow him, the fear of of what they would inevitably find keeping them all glued to the spots they stood in. And yet, reflected in all of their eyes, as they nervously glanced at one another, was a dim gleam of hope; hope that somehow the queen had survived. Uru lay in the middle of the group, too overwhelmed by the ordeal to do anything more than shiver in the cold, damp air as Zuria held her close. Brooding clouds appeared in the distance, turning the sky a dull and dead gray, and a brewing storm creating a low, ominous rumbling of thunder, which increased the anxiety that was creeping its way into the heart of each of the lionesses.

And so they stood for what seemed like hours in a painful and anxious silence, none able to find words that could reconcile the dreadful circumstances that they found themselves in; the only warmth that could be provided was the heat flowing from body to body as they huddled into one another. Finally, all perked their ears as the sound of slow, laboring footsteps was heard. Then the solemn form of Mohatu appeared before them. His eyes were swollen and his head lowered to the ground, unable to look any of them in the eye. He walked as if in a nightmarish trance to Kanya and Zuria, and whispered something low to them. Both slowly nodded their heads and a tear made its way down Kanya's dark cheek. Without looking at any of the lionesses, Mohatu carefully picked Uru up in the gentle cradle of his jaws, and began to walk toward Pride Rock. All the lionesses, except Kanya and Zuria, followed a small distance behind him, the sorrowful and saddened manner of their king, confirming to the lionesses their worst fear; their queen, their friend... their sister, was gone.

* * *

"_If I die young bury me in satin, lay me down on a bed of roses, sink me in the river at dawn, send me away with the words of a love song." _

As Pride Rock came into sight, Mohatu's heart only bled all the more, because for the first time, as his gaze fell upon the majestic stone mountain, it did not feel like home. When he and the procession of lionesses advanced closer to Pride Rock, Raoul and the other males came bounding up.

"No need to worry, we finished off those cowards like they were a couple of termite mounds!" Izogie said happily.

Mohatu only stared into the distance, a hazy look in his eyes. Izogie didn't recognize his friend's sadness, he was too consumed in the exhilarating rumble he'd just participated in, and before Ilanga or any of the other lionesses could stop him he asked,

"Hey, where is Jolina?"

This question was enough to bring Mohatu back to full alertness and with it, a staggering blow of pain ripped through him, nearly causing him to collapse. He let out a chocked sob before he finally answered in a low whisper,

"I failed her. She...she's gone."

Mohatu looked around at them for a moment, then the chocking emotions became too much for him. Dropping Uru from his mouth, he sprinted from the other lions and soon was out of their sight.

* * *

The smile had faded from Izogie and the other lions' faces.

"What happened to her. Where is Jolina?" Kelsh asked nervously.

Holly looked at her son as she helped Uru back up to her feet. It saddened the old lioness that the reunion with her son had come with her new friend's death. Taking a deep breath and gathering herself to explain the horrible news to these lions, who had been so close to Jolina.

"There, there was a terrible accident. Jolina saved us all when she opened the dam, but..but she wasn't able to get out, and the river took her over the drop-off." the old lioness said sadly.

The five males all looked at her in shock,

"No, please Holly, tell me it's not true." Azir said.

Holly only shook her head in sadness and the old king lowered his head to the ground and wept. Now that Mohatu was out of their presence, Ilanga and Eme ran to their mates, each couple doing the best they could to comfort one another. The other lionesses continued their walk back to Pride Rock to tell the rest of the pride of the queen's horrible fate.

* * *

When the news was given to the pride, the lions and lionesses all bowed their heads in sorrow and regret. Zaza sadly flew over the kingdom, telling the different clans the news and making funeral arrangements. It was nearly noon, but the sun hid itself behind the gray clouds, casting a gloomy shadow over the mourning pride. Zuria and Kanya had done as Mohatu had requested them, and brought Jolina's battered body back to Pride Rock, so that it could be prepared for the burial ceremony that evening.

Holly had done her best to comfort her son and new friends as they tried to cope with the crippling blow. Uru stayed by her side, as Holly went about the kingdom offering her comfort to any lion in need. The little cub had said nothing, she couldn't understand why everyone was acting so strangely, and she was naturally drawn to Holly's maternal aura. Holly and Uru came upon Mohatu. He was sitting under an acacia tree, staring at the ground. Uru slowly approached the grieving form of her father, and gently tapped her little paw against his leg. Mohatu slowly turned his gaze to his little daughter's innocent features. Finally Uru found her voice,

"Daddy, when is mama coming home?"

Mohatu felt another stab of pain pierce his broken heart as he drew a deep breath,

Uru, I..I'm so sorry. Mama isn't coming home." he whispered.

Uru looked at him, and said in a confused voice,

"But why? Why isn't she coming home?!"

Mohatu looked at her and answered,

"Because she is in heaven Uru."

The cub continued to stare at him, confused. Heaven was the place where old lions went to, after they stopped waking up. Her mama wasn't supposed to be there, she was supposed to be at home, with her family.

"No." Uru whimpered as tears began to spill across her cheeks.

Mohatu pulled his daughter to him, and his own sobs and tears mingled with hers. As Uru sought to find comfort by burying herself into her father's mane, Mohatu could only whisper,

"I'm so sorry."

Holly walked away from the grieving father and daughter, tears spilling down her cheeks as well.

* * *

"_Lord and make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my father. He'll know I'm safe with you when he stands under my colors, oh and, life ain't always what you think it ought to be no, ain't even gray, but he buries his baby."_

Holly continued making her way back to Pride Rock when she heard a low sound. At first she thought it was the dark clouds that had been progressively making their way toward the Pridelands. But as she listened more closely, the sound was that resembling more of weeping. Rounding a small boulder, she found Azir in a crumpled heap on the ground, the tears rolling down his face. Holly approached him softly, and placed a comforting paw on his; it was the only comforting gesture she could give him, for no words, no gestures, nothing, not even time itself, can heal the heart of a parent who has lost their child. Finally Azir came to his feet,

"She can't be gone, I just found her, she can't be..." he managed to chock out.

Holly only shook her head in grief, and offered her friend a comforting nuzzle, before helping him back to Pride Rock where the pride and kingdom were beginning to gather.

* * *

"_The sharp knife of a short life. Well I've had just enough time."_

The animals of the kingdom and lions of the pride all gathered sadly at the base of Pride Rock to honor and mourn their beloved queen. The kings, queens, and dignitaries of neighboring prides had also come to pay their respects to the wise and compassionate queen of the Pridelands. Each clan leader gave a moving speech about the fair and just Jolina, many of them greatly grieving her untimely death. The visiting dignitaries also gave their condolences to Mohatu and his pride.

The lionesses of the pride sat near the king, none of them attempting to hold back their heart-wrenching wails as the body of the queen was brought out. Jolina's closets friends and family sat next to the grave; Kanya, Eme, Zuria, and Ilanga sobbing into their mates' manes. Strawberry did his best to comfort his distraught mate, Raoul and Kelsh hung their heads in sorrow, even Izogie had tears sliding down his cheeks. Holly, Mona, and Chaka sat next to Azir, doing their best to console their friend. Rafiki stepped forward and began to recite the funeral rituals. As the mandrill gave credit and honor to the selfless and honorable lioness, he had to pause in order swallow a sob and wipe the tears from his eyes.

* * *

"_There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever. Who would have thought forever could be severed by, the sharp knife of a short life."_

Mohatu resumed his distant expression as the other animals gave speeches to pay honor to his mate. Soon, though, he was asked to say a few words, this pulled him from his trance and the immense heart break and loss tore through him. The animals all turned their attention to the wise and strong king, whose form now seem drained and broken. The only words Mohatu could whisper were,

" There is no one as loving, wise, and beautiful as she is. She was my everything."

* * *

"_A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar. They're worth so much more after I'm a goner, and maybe then you'll the words I've been singing, funny when you're dead, how people start listening."_

As the rituals came to a close, two matriarch elephants stepped forward and gently placed the body of the queen into her grave. Then, one of the leopards placed the flowing crown of flowers, the one she had worn on her coronation and wedding day, gently onto her lifeless body. Last time she had worn them, they were vibrant, bright, and flashing with breathtaking colors. Now, the crown was nothing more than a withered chain; broken, brown, and dead .

* * *

"_Oh, oh, the ballad of a dove, go with peace and love, gather up tears, keep in them in your pocket. Save for them a time when you're really gonna need them."_

As Jolina's mate and daughter stepped forward to throw the last bit of dirt onto the filled grave, the wind picked up and thunder rumbled over the land. Soon, the grieving animals were pelted with a downpour of rain. The wind howled and the thunder roared, as if the very land itself was also mourning the death of its beloved Queen.

The usual orange sunset was replaced by the dark, weeping land. The rain churned the river, as if punishing it for taking the life of one so loved. Even against the incredible odds, only Jolina's life had been lost. And though all were thankful for the sparing of so many other lives, the death of their queen seemed too high price to be paid.

* * *

"_The sharp knife of a short life, well I've had just enough time."_

The animals began to disperse as the storm passed over, leaving a damp chill hanging in the air. The lions of Pride Rock slowly ascended into the warm comfort of the den as night began to fall, though no stars could be seen through the black clouds that covered the kingdom. Holly was about to follow after Mona and Chaka when she noticed that two lions were absent.

She found Mohatu fading away in the gray mists that had descended on the land, unaware that his daughter had been trying to follow him. The little cub lost her father's form in the mist, she was too cold and scared to whimper or cry for help. Holly found the cub staring into the fog where her father had disappeared.

"C'mon little one." Holly said softly as she picked the shivering cub up.

When she reached the interior of the den, she laid down next to Chaka, and pulled Uru into the warmth of her body. She gave the dark cub an affectionate lick, and Uru quickly fell asleep, escaping from the horrors of that day, if only for a little while.

"_If I die young, bury me in satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses, sink me in the river at dawn. Send me away with the words of a love song..."_

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading. I cannot believe the amazing feedback I have received on this story. As, the next chapter is the last, I'd like to open a sort of discussion to you. If any of you wish to ask me questions about this story, my inspirations, my style, themes, etc, I will gladly address them in the end author's note of the next chapter. I'm also open to some personal questions if any of you are curious about my thoughts, opinions, or experiences. And of course, don't forget to review this chapter. Thank you all so much for following Jolina on her journey and I hope that I have not disappointed any of you. *Nantsingonyama* _

_*The song used in this chapter is "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. I took liberties with the arrangement of the vesrus and changed mother to father to fit the story. I do not own the song, nor the Lion King._


	30. Chapter 30: Always With You

_A/N: Well, here we are dear readers, the end. I cannot thank you all enough for your support. This was the first fanfiction I have ever even thought of writing. To think that this story that I put down on paper and shared on the Lion King fanfiction archive got 190 reviews and over 3,500 views is unbelievable and humbling for me. I honestly didn't think I would get a number over 30 when I first began to write this. You all have been so generous with your time, thoughts, and advice. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. At the bottom author's note I will go into more detail about my inspirations for this story, and hopefully answer questions that some of you had. For now, I would like to extend personalized details to each and everyone of the reviewers. _

_**Kora22: **You were my very first reviewer, thank you for motivating me to continue writing, and giving me the confidence and advice that every new writer needs. Your support has been wonderful, and I hope that you have enjoyed this story._

_**WolvesHunt101:** We have both composed similar stories involving the time before Simba. I have drawn many inspirations from your story, and the wonderful and encouraging reviews you left gave me the belief that I could write a story. Thank you._

_**WarriorCat119:** Upon a review I left on your story, you read mine, and have continuously left encouraging and detailed reviews. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my story, and good luck with your own. And please don't feel that my works are better than yours, they are not. You have developed a great sense of pacing and plot twists that I wish I possessed, but we both have our own style, and I can assure you that I have enjoyed reading your story every bit as much as you say you have mine. Thanks!_

_**PuttingQuillonParchment: **Your reviews have inspired and uplifted me so much. Your compliments have been so sweet, you've told me many times that you wish my story could be a movie, and that I should write a novel. Thanks to you, I do plan on writing a book in the near future, and I will tell you if that idea ever becomes anything. Thank you for everything._

_**Mimoo01**: You have given some of the nicest reviews. They've all been positive and detailed. Thank you for your kind support throughout this story, it has meant the world to me._

_**Milele yako: **You have left an encouraging review on every chapter. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about my story with me. I know you have recently begun to write your own stories, I know that you will do a wonderful job with them, and I wish you the best of luck. Thanks!_

_**Snheeta:** Every chapter from the beginning you have left a meaningful and detailed review. Many of the thoughts you shared have made me reflect on Jolina, and have helped me to steer where her story would go. Thank you also for reviewing my other story, and for telling me I have a passion for writing, those words will forever inspire me as I pursue the art of writing. You seem to have a very strong connection to this story, and the character Jolina, and your reviews many times make me laugh. Thank you._

_**NibbytheHedgeHog:** Wow, as both of us are new writers, thank so so much for your wonderful support and encouragement with this story! Good luck with your own as well. _

_**YellowFlash67: **Thanks so much for your words of encouragement and for following this story!_

_**Queenlioness042096: **Your comments have been so helpful, and thank for you for following this story!_

_**GeminiGemelo: **Your critique was very helpful, thank you for reading my story!_

_**QueenSimba94: **Thank you for reading this story, and for sharing your thoughts! _

_**Lewleon: **Your comments have been beyond helpful, and I hope you continue to read this story!_

_**To Johnny2b, Ribbi, Reldor, and JNSx7:** You guys read my story after a substantial amount was already written, thank you for reviewing anyway!_

_To all the guests and readers, thank you for your support, and I hope you have come to love Jolina as much as I do. Thank you._

* * *

Chapter 30: Always With You

Mohatu gazed out into the African savannah. He wearily watched as the golden sunlight cut through the thick morning fog. Thought the day was bright, the tired king could only stare into the happy morning with sad eyes.

"_She's gone."_ were the only word that had filled his sleepless night.

His beautiful angel had died, and he could have saved her. If only he'd been faster, he could have got to them both, if only he'd watched Uru more carefully she wouldn't have fallen in the water, if only he'd been more diligent about the kingdom's security, Jolina would be beside him. Giving a gasp, he realized that the small den he found himself in was the same one where he had proposed to Jolina all those years ago when they had first come to the Pridelands. He heaved himself to his feet and slowly began to make his way toward the looming figure of Pride Rock.

* * *

Uru pulled herself away from the warm embrace of Holly. Her eyes were glazed over from the fatigue and tears that had traumatized her over the past few days, and as she stepped out of the den, the events of the previous day overcame her. Sinking down on the cool rock, she began to whimper,

"Mama, it's all my fault." she whispered.

Dragging herself back to her feet, she stumbled down the steep rocks to the freshly disturbed ground of her mother's grave.

As Mohatu approached Pride Rock, he saw a sight that made his heart sink. Laying in a heap on Jolina's grave was a shivering, dark-furred cub. Moahtu quickly approached his small daughter and pulled her to him.

"Oh Uru." he said

Mohatu felt a pang of guilt course through him. He had abandoned Uru. He had allowed his own grief to distance him from her. He should, of all lions, know what it felt like to be abandoned by one parent at the death of another.

"Daddy, is it my fault?" Uru asked.

Mohatu looked into her pleading eyes, the same sparkling ones of Jolina. He had not considered that Uru would be feeling the same responsibility and guilt over Jolina's death as he had.

Uru, no. It's not your fault. He said softly to her.

The little cub seemed comforted by this, and buried her head into her father's mane. It was then that Mohatu knew that he could not separate himself from Uru. And that he couldn't let his own guilt prevent him from being a good father to her. Jolina would want him to continue to be king, and he swore to himself that he would teach Uru to be the just and compassionate queen that Jolina had been.

"I promise Joli, I promise."

* * *

Somewhere, across the eons, across the ages, to a place so far away that you would hardly know that it existed, a light beige lioness opened her eyes. She found herself blinded by a intense white light, and she hastily shut her stinging eyes. Then a warm voice, one that she had not heard in a lifetime beckoned her to open them. She did as the honey-sweet voice requested and standing in front of her, she saw a light-gray lioness smiling down at her. Jumping to her feet, the beige lioness embraced the other, After what seemed like an eternity, mother and daughter had been reunited. Tears of joy streaming down their faces, the gray lioness gestured her daughter to follow her. But the younger lioness turned and looked down from her heavenly paradise to a place she had left behind. She quietly whispered something to the wind, before following her mother into eternity.

* * *

Mohatu and Uru had spent the remainder of the day together. Though he had begun trying to pull the pride back together every step seemed to be an overwhelming challenge to him. Mohatu friend's saw the burden that the king was shouldering, and they all did their best to help him. Kanya diligently organized reluctant hunting parties, and Zuria and Raoul handled the dignitary duties.

Standing on the promontory of Pride Rock with Uru, Mohatu watched as the orange glow of sunset gave into the dark veil of night, a twinkling blanket covering the land.

"C'mon Roo." he finally said as he made his way toward the den where the rest of the pride had already settled for the night.

Uru gave a small smile and began to follow her father, but just before she disappeared into the cave, she felt a soft tickle on her ear. Turning she saw nothing, but as the wind blew past her, she heard a familiar voice, though it sounded faint and faraway say,

"_I will always be with you."_

**_The End_**

* * *

_A/N: Well that's the end. I had always planned for Jolina to sacrifice herself for her pride and family. I hope that you can see a resemblance between Mohatu and Simba, both physical and emotional. Alright to answer the questions that you all asked me._

_**Jolina's name**_

_I came up with her name after I had a rough plan of the storyline worked out in my head. I just started piecing random syllables together and then BAM Jo-lin-a and I knew that was the name for her._

_**Inspiration for story**_

_I suppose my main inspiration was to set up a noble heritage of Simba without overshadowing his story, and I mean taking too many things from the original movies, and creating lions that were greater than Simba and Mufasa. I also wanted to create a feminine hero to my own likings, meaning __she was brave, courageous, and regal. _

_**Personal Experinces in Story**_

_I wrote this story as an outlet of many thoughts and ideas that had been building in me over the past few years. This past year and over the summer my family has been dealing with my grandfather being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. My mother is an only child and my grandfather is no longer married. So while she was caring for him at his house, I brought a wad of stapled notebook paper to his house, and wrote this story. I don't tell you this to make you feel sorry for me, yes, it is sad and hard, but it is life, and we will get through it. I do feel like I have a similar mindset as Jolina's does, and small observations into behavior and emotion inspired scenes in this story. _

_**Culture of the Lions**_

_I wanted to give the Pridelanders a sense of culture and modest refinement. The inspirations for their culture was drawn from The Lion King movies, and roughly from various fanfics and books that I have read. Some of it I simply "pulled off the top of my head". _

_Thank you all for reading this. This story has been such a growth for me in appreciating writing and reading. Uru story will be up soon! Oh, and please tell me in the review your favorite parts, characters, quotes, etc from the story._

_*Nantsingonyama*_


End file.
